Fig. 1
From: Long-term effect of stents eluting 6-mercaptopurine in porcine coronary arteries
Characteristics and implantation of 6-MP DES in porcine coronary arteries. Polymer-only control stents (a) and stents loaded with 300 μg 6-MP (b) showed smooth coating surfaces by scanning electron microscopy. The cumulative release of 6-MP from the stents (c) was determined in vitro for up to 38 days (panels a-c adapted from [18]). After applying endothelial damage by balloon inflation, stents were deployed in the RCA (d), LCX (e) and LAD (f). Stent placement was followed by control angiography to ensure patency of the stented coronary artery. After 3 months, control angiography was repeated to reassess patency. After euthanasia, the heart was rapidly excised and the stents, visible as indicated (g), were harvested and fixed. Arrows indicate location of the stents