<正>Objective: To investigate the effect of adenoviral vector-mediated AT2R gene transfection on neointimal hyperplasia after rat carotid artery balloon injury. Methods :AT2R gene was transferred into rat carotid arteries by recombinant adenovirus pAd-AT2R after the establishment of rat carotid balloon injury restenosis model. The arteries were harvested on the 14th day after gene transfer. The efficiency of trans-gene delivery was measured by the expression of adenovirus-encoding green fluorescent protein （GFP） under fluorescent microscope. The expression of AT2R and PCNA （proliferating cell nuclear antigen） was e-valuated by RT-PCR

immunocytochemistry

immunofluorescence staining

confocal microscopy

respectively. The ratio of intimal to medial area （I/M） was quantified with images and determined by an image analysis system. Results: GFP-positive area in adventitia

media and the forming neointima was about 40%. Adenoviral delivery of rat AT2R gene up-regulated AT2R expression in balloon-injured rat carotid and reduced PCNA expression and I/M significantly in neointima（P<0. 01）. Double immunofluorescence labeling of AT2R and PCNA also showed that AT2R gene transfer inhibited VSMCs proliferation in neointima. Conclusion: AT2R gene transfer may be a novel promising therapy to limit neointimal hyperplasia.