Naturally occurring macrolide antibiotic produced by the fungus Streptomyces, found in Ester Island.
	FDA approved oral immunosuppressive agent noted to have anti-fungal properties and subsequently was noted to have immunosuppressant activity.
	Potent inhibitor of cytokine and growth factor mediated cell proliferation.

We and others demonstrated that rapamycin inhibits the proliferation of rodent and human vascular SMCs in vitro and porcine vascular SMCs in vivo by blocking cell cycle progression at the G1/S transition. The vascular SMCs are based on earlier observations showing that the immunosuppressant activity of rapamycin linked to its ability to inhibit cell cycle progression in T lymphocytes