Human Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Delivery Promotes Angiogenesis in a Rat Model of Hindlimb Ischemia

Objective— Endothelium-derived NO has been shown to mediate the mitogenic effect of vascular endothelial growth factor on cultured microvascular endothelium. To evaluate the role of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in angiogenesis in the ischemic hindlimb, we engineered an adenovirus containing human eNOS cDNA. Methods and Results— After gene transfer, expression of eNOS in cultured cells was detected by increased intracellular cGMP and...