The effect of tecogalan sodium on the development of the collateral circulation after acute arterial occlusion.

The survival of tissues distal to major arterial occlusions is critically dependent on the development of collateral blood vessels. The biochemical events fundamental to their evolution remain undefined. To determine the role of endogenous basic fibroblast growth factor in the development of the collateral circulation we evaluated the dose response to Tecogalan Sodium (DS-4152) in a rat model of hind limb ischaemia. Treatment with DS-4152 inhibited the recovery following acute arterial occlusion and impaired limb viability. The inhibitory effects were more pronounced in the calf than in the adductor muscles and tended to be more marked in the groups treated with the higher dose regimens. The results provide further evidence that collateral development and tissue recovery following acute arterial occlusion are dependent on endogenous basic fibroblast growth factor and that this dependence is greater in the more ischaemic, distal tissues.