Abstract
The inhibitory effect of manidipine, a long acting calcium channel blocker, on vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation was investigated in spontaneously diabetic GK rats with balloon catheter-induced denudation of the carotid artery. Treatment with manidipine at doses of 4.6 and 15.1 mg/kg/day inhibited thickening of the neo-intima in the balloon catheter-injured artery without any effect on blood pressure and lowered the ratio of intima to wall areas and wall to total vascular areas in a dose-dependent fashion. These results suggest that manidipine inhibits an abnormal proliferation of the intima in the carotid artery of spontaneously diabetic rats.
