Gene therapy for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease and coronary artery disease.

: Owing to the easy accessibility and general importance of the vascular system, cardiovascular diseases, including postangioplasty and graft restenosis, have become one of the new areas for gene therapy and molecular medicine. Promising therapeutic effects have been obtained in animal models of vascular diseases and restenosis with the transfer of genes for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), thymidine kinase, p53, retinoblastoma, bcl-x, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP), hepatic growth factor (HGF) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Also, growth arrest homeobox gene and antisense oligonucleotides or antibodies against transcription factors or cell cycle regulatory proteins have produced beneficial therapeutic effects. However, further developments in gene delivery techniques and vectors are needed before the full therapeutic effects of gene therapy in vascular diseases can be obtained.