ORIGINAL RESEARCH Cocaine Induces Apoptosis in Primary Cultured Rat Aortic Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Possible Relationship to Aortic Dissection, Atherosclerosis,

Cocaine abuse is known to induce many adverse cardiovascu-lar effects, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and aortic dis-section. A major physiological event leading to these pathophysi-ological actions of cocaine could be apoptosis. This study was de-signed to investigate if primary cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) can undergo apoptosis when treated with cocaine. After treatment with cocaine (10−6 to 10−4 M), morpho-logical analysis of aortic VSMCs using confocal fluoresence mi-croscopy showed that the percentage of apoptotic aortic VSMCs increased after cocaine (10−6 to 10−4 M) treatment for 12, 24, and 48 h. These results demonstrate that aortic VSMCs can undergo rapid apoptosis in response to cocaine in a concentration-dependent manner. Cocaine-induced apoptosis may thus play a major role in cocaine abuse-induced aortic dissection, atherosclerosis, and hypertension