title: Viability and differentiation of autologous skeletal myoblast grafts in ischaemic cardiomyopathy.
abstract: Autologous skeletal myoblast transplantation might improve postinfarction ventricular function, but graft viability and differentiation (ie, proof of concept) has not been shown. A 72-year-old man had autologous cultured myoblasts from his vastus lateralis injected to an area of transmural inferior myocardial infarction in non-reperfused scar tissue. He showed improvement in symptoms and left-ventricular ejection fraction. When he died 17.5 months after the procedure, the grafted post-infarction scar showed well developed skeletal myotubes with a preserved contractile apparatus. 65% of myotubes expressed the slow myosin isoform and 33% coexpressed the slow and fast isoforms (vs 44% and 0.6%, respectively, in skeletal muscle). Myoblast grafts can survive and show a switch to slow-twitch fibres, which might allow sustained improvement in cardiac function.
authors.affiliation: Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Department of Cardiology, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou and INSERM EMI-16, Necker-Paris V University, Paris, France. hagege@club-internet.fr
authors.forename: Albert A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hagège
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carrion
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menasché
authors.forename: Jean-Thomas
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Vilquin
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duboc
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Marolleau
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Desnos
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bruneval
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D032448:Myoblasts, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*