Significant improvement of heart function by cotransplantation of human mesenchymal stem cells and fetal cardiomyocytes in postinfarcted pigs.
BACKGROUND
Viable cardiomyocytes after myocardial infarction (MI) are unable to repair the necrotic myocardium due to their limited capability of regeneration. The present study investigated whether intramyocardial transplantation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) or cotransplantation of hMSCs plus human fetal cardiomyocytes (hFCs; 1:1) reconstituted impaired myocardium and improved cardiac function in MI pigs.


RESULTS
Cultured hMSCs were transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Six weeks after MI induction and cell transplantation, cardiac function was significantly improved in MI pigs transplanted with hMSCs alone. However, the improvement was even markedly greater in MI pigs cotransplanted with hMSCs plus hFCs. Histological examination demonstrated that transplantation of hMSCs alone or hMSCs plus hFCs formed GFP-positive engrafts in infarcted myocardium. In addition, immunostaining for cardiac alpha-myosin heavy chain and troponin I showed positive stains in infarcted regions transplanted with hMSCs alone or hMSCs plus hFCs.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data demonstrate that transplantation of hMSCs alone improved cardiac function in MI pigs with a markedly greater improvement from cotransplantation of hMSCs plus hFCs. This improvement might result from myocardial regeneration and angiogenesis in injured hearts by engrafted cells.
Min
Jiang-Yong
JY
Stem Cell Research Laboratory, The Charles A. Dana Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Sullivan
Matthew F
MF
Yang
Yinke
Y
Zhang
Jian-Ping
JP
Converso
Kimber L
KL
Morgan
James P
JP
Xiao
Yong-Fu
YF
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D013552:Swine; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology