Autologous porcine heart cell transplantation improved heart function after a myocardial infarction.
OBJECTIVE
Fetal cardiomyocyte transplantation improved heart function after cardiac injury. However, cellular allografts were rejected despite cyclosporine (INN: ciclosporin) therapy. We therefore evaluated autologous heart cell transplantation in an adult swine model of a myocardial infarction.


METHODS
In 16 adult swine a myocardial infarction was created by occlusion of the distal left anterior descending coronary artery by an intraluminal coil. Four weeks after infarction, technetium 99m-sestamibi single photon emission tomography showed minimal perfusion and viability in the infarcted region. Porcine heart cells were isolated and cultured from the interventricular septum at the time of infarction and grown in vitro for 4 weeks. Through a left thoracotomy, either cells (N = 8) or culture medium (N = 8) was injected into the infarct zone.


RESULTS
Four weeks after cell transplantation, technetium 99m-sestamibi single photon emission tomography demonstrated greater wall motion scores in the pigs receiving transplantation than in control animals (P =.01). Pigs receiving transplantation were more likely to have an improvement in perfusion scores (P =.03). Preload recruitable stroke work (P =.009) and end-systolic elastance (P =. 02) were greater in the pigs receiving transplantation than in control animals. Scar areas were not different, but scar thickness was greater (P =.02) in pigs receiving transplantation. Cells labeled with bromodeoxyuridine in vitro could be identified in the infarct zone 4 weeks after transplantation. Swine receiving transplantation gained more weight than control animals (P =.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Autologous porcine heart cell transplantation improved regional perfusion and global ventricular function after a myocardial infarction.
Li
R K
RK
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. RenKe.Li@uhn.on.ca
Weisel
R D
RD
Mickle
D A
DA
Jia
Z Q
ZQ
Kim
E J
EJ
Sakai
T
T
Tomita
S
S
Schwartz
L
L
Iwanochko
M
M
Husain
M
M
Cusimano
R J
RJ
Burns
R J
RJ
Yau
T M
TM
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013552:Swine; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000502:physiology*; D017725:Ventricular Pressure / Q000502:physiology
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi