Method and composition for inhibiting cardiovascular cell proliferation

Abstract

Cardiovascular cell proliferation in a blood vessel subjected to trauma, such as angioplasty, vascular graft, anastomosis, or organ transplant, can be inhibited by contacting the vessel with a polymer consisting of from 6 to about 30 amino acid subunits, where at least 50% of the subunits are arginine, and the polymer contains at least six contiguous arginine subunits. Exemplary polymers for this purpose include arginine homopolymers 7 to 15 subunits in length.

1 .- 28 . (canceled)  
   
   
       29 . A method for performing a vascular bypass procedure comprising: 
 contacting a bypass vessel with a polyarginine or salt thereof, and grafting said bypass vessel at a target site.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said vascular bypass procedure comprises an arterial-venous anastomosis.  
   
   
       31 . The method of claim  1  wherein said vascular bypass procedure comprises a coronary bypass.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said vascular bypass procedure comprises a non-coronary bypass procedure.  
   
   
       33 . The method of claim  4  wherein said vascular bypass procedure comprises a femoro-popliteal bypass.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said bypass vessel is autologous.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said bypass vessel is an allograft.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said bypass vessel is a xenograft.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said bypass vessel is about 3 to 12 inches in length.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said polyarginine is contacted with said bypass vessel ex vivo.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said polyarginine comprises at least 7 amino acid residue.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said polyarginine comprises 6 to 15 arginine residues.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said contacting step comprises contacting said bypass vessel with a polyarginine acetate salt.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said polyarginine is an arginine homopolymer.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said polyarginine is an arginine homopolymer of 9 residues.  
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said polyarginine is in a solution of less than 1 M of said polyarginine.  
   
   
       45 . The method of claim  1  wherein said polyarginine is in a solution of between about 0.01 μM and 100 μM of said polyarginine.  
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said contacting step comprises contacting said bypass vessel with said polyarginine for less than 30 minutes.