Fludarabine (Fludarabinum) is a fluorinated purine analog, an inhibitor of nucleic acid synthesis and an inhibitor of STAT1 activation. Fludarabine has antitumor activity and can be used for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.

HeLa cells:16 μM, A549 cells:47.44 μM, CCRF-CEM cells:19.49 μM, MM.1S:13.48 µg/mL, MM.1R cells:33.79 µg/mL, K562 cells:0.26 μM, HCT116 cells:6.6 μM, MCF7 cells:15 μM, PBMC cells:1.9 μM, HepG2 cells:20 μM, RPMI8226 cells:1.54 µg/mL, Mahlavu cells:10 μM, T47D cells:46.2 μM

VSMCs were isolated from the aorta of male Wistar rats weighing ～350–500 g, as previously described. For cell culture experiments, 2 × 10^5 rat VSMCs were plated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Semiconfluent VSMCs were starved by incubation in 0.5% FBS/DMEM for 36–48 h and then serum-stimulated with normal growth medium (i.e., DMEM containing 10% FBS) in the presence or absence of fludarabine (50 μM) [2].

The animals in this study were handled according to the animal welfare regulation of the Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, and the protocol was approved by the animal use committee of this institution. Fifty Wistar rats weighing 340 ± 40 g were anesthetized with an intramuscular injection of 100 mg/kg ketamine and 5 mg/kg xylazine. Angioplasty of the common carotid artery was performed using a balloon embolectomy catheter, as previously described and well validated in our laboratory. Fludarabine was dissolved in 30% pluronic F127 gel to the final concentrations of 2.5, 5, 15, or 25 mg/ml. At the time of balloon injury, gel containing fludarabine or vehicle was applied around the middle segment (2 cm in length) of the right injured carotid artery (0.1 ml per 1-cm length of the artery segment, equivalent to 0.5, 1, 3, or 5 mg of total fludarabine locally delivered), as previously described. As a control experiment, 200 μl of fludarabine/gel solution (25 mg/ml) were applied around the sham-operated carotid artery. To study the fludarabine toxicity, laboratory studies were performed at baseline and 2 wk after drug local delivery (25 mg/ml). Arterial pressure and heart rate were measured indirectly by a tail-cuff plethysmographic technique [2].