Neutrophils are responsible for impaired medial smooth muscle cell recovery and exaggerated allograft vasculopathy in aortic allografts exposed to prolonged cold ischemia

Impaired medial SMC recovery in murine aortic allografts at 2 weeks occurs in the absence of adaptive immunity. Enhanced medial SMC recovery and reduced neointimal lesion formation in NOX2-/- and rIPC recipients of 60-minute CI grafts suggest a causal role for NØs in impaired medial SMC repopulation and the development of AV.