BACKGROUND: Nanoparticles (NPs) possess several advantages as a carrier system for intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents. Rapamycin is an immunosuppressive agent which also exhibits marked antiproliferative properties. We investigated whether rapamycin-loaded NPs can reduce neointima formation of vein graft disease in a rat model. METHODS: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs-containing rapamycin was prepared using an oil/water solvent evaporation technique. The size and morphology of the NP were determined by dynamic light scattering methodology and electron microscopy. In vitro cytotoxicity of blank, rapamycin-loaded PLGA NPs was studied using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. Excised rat jugular vein was treated ex vivo with blank NPs, or rapamycin-loaded NPs, and then interposed back into the carotid artery position using a cuff technique. Grafts were harvested for 21 days and subjected to morphometric analysis as well as immunohistochemical analysis and Western blotting. RESULTS: Rapamycin was efficiently loaded in PLGA NPs with an encapsulation efficiency of 87.6%. The average diameter of NPs was 180.3 nm. The NPs-containing rapamycin at 1 ng/mL significantly inhibited vascular smooth muscular cells proliferation. Measurement of rapamycin levels in vein grafts showed that the concentration of rapamycin in vein grafts at 3 weeks after grafting was 0.9 ± 0.1 μg/g. In grafted veins without treatment, intima-media thickness was 300.4 ± 181.5 μm at 21 days after grafting, whereas veins treated with rapamycin-loaded NPs showed a reduction of intimal-media thickness of 150.2 ± 62.5 μm (p = 0.001). Cell proliferation was measured by proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunohistochemistry staining. As expected, proliferating cell nuclear antigen index declined from 83.4% ± 7.4% to 66.2% ± 4.5% in vein grafts after 3 weeks (p = 0.002). Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM-1/CD31) staining was used to measure luminal endothelial coverage in grafts and indicated a high level of endothelialization at 21 days after grafting, with no significant effect of blank or rapamycin-loaded NPs group. Western blot analysis showed that treatment with rapamycin-loaded PLGA NPs markedly attenuated phosphorylation and activation of S6 kinase 1 phosphorylation and inactivation of 4E (eIF4E)-binding protein 1, both in vascular smooth muscular cells and vein grafts at 7 and 21 days after grafting. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that sustained-release rapamycin from rapamycin-loaded NPs inhibits vein graft thickening without affecting the endothelial cells in rat carotid vein-to-artery interposition grafts; thus, this may be a promising therapy for the treatment of vein graft disease.