Cellular cardiomyoplasty in a transgenic mouse model.
BACKGROUND
Recent progress in the cardiotypic differentiation of embryonic and somatic stem cells opens novel prospects for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. The aim of the present study was to develop a novel surgical approach that allows standardized cellular cardiomyoplasty in mouse with low-perioperative mortality.


METHODS
Reproducible transmural lesions were generated by cryoinjury followed by intramural injection of embryonic cardiomyocytes using a newly designed holding device and vital dye staining. This approach was validated with a transgenic mouse model, in which the live reporter gene-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) is under control of a cardiac-specific promoter.


RESULTS
The perioperative mortality was 10%. The engrafted EGFP-positive cardiomyocytes could be identified in a high percentage (72.2%, n=36) of operated animals.


CONCLUSIONS
This novel approach enables reliable cellular replacement therapy in mouse and greatly facilitates the analysis of its molecular, cellular, and functional efficacy.
Roell
Wilhelm
W
Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany. akp44@uni-koeln.de.
Fan
Yun
Y
Xia
Ying
Y
Stoecker
Eva
E
Sasse
Philipp
P
Kolossov
Eugen
E
Bloch
Wilhelm
W
Metzner
Harald
H
Schmitz
Christoph
C
Addicks
Klaus
K
Hescheler
Juergen
J
Welz
Armin
A
Fleischmann
Bernd K
BK
D000818:Animals; D018421:Cardiomyoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic
D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins