Effect of d-Nicotine on Migration of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Abstract: In order to demonstrate the relationship between smoking and arteriosclerosis the effect of d-nicotine on migration of vascular smooth muscle GbaSM-4 cells， a cell line of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) derived from guinea pig brain basilar arteries， was investigated. It was found that d-nicotine was able to promote the migration of the cells by Boyden's chamber assay. The expression and distribution of actin were increased in the body and lamellipodia of GbaSM-4 cells by immunofluorescent staining. The acetylcholine receptor (a7-nAChR) was detectable in GbaSM-4 cells by RT-PCR. The effect of inducing migration was inhibited by an a7-nAChR antagonist (methyllycaconitine) and an antagonist (ML-9) of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) in the cells. And the effect of inducing migration was also depressed by down-regulating MLCK through RNA interference. The data demonstrated that the d-nicotine promotes the migration of vascular smooth muscle as chemotaxis， in which a7-nAChR and MLCK are involved in the molecular mechanism. The finding provides experimental evidence for smoking resulting in arteriosclerosis.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2005.04.0022