Journal of vascular surgery
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Saphenous vein grafts suffer from neointima formation following bypass surgery. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in this process. We examined MMP-3 for its therapeutic potential to prevent smooth muscle cell migration and neointima formation in venous bypass grafts using adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. ⋯ MMP-3 overexpression inhibits formation of intimal hyperplasia in arterialized vein grafts. Adenovirus mediated gene transfer of MMP-3 may be of clinical use to prevent vein graft stenosis following bypass surgery.