title: Noncultured, autologous, skeletal muscle cells can successfully engraft into ovine myocardium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is compelling evidence showing that cellular cardiomyoplasty can improve cardiac function. Considering the potential benefit of using noncultured muscle cells (little time, lower cost, reduced risk of contamination), we investigated the feasibility of grafting cells obtained directly after enzymatic dissociation of skeletal muscle biopsies into ovine myocardium. We hypothesized that those noncultured muscle cells would engraft massively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Autologous, intramyocardial skeletal muscle cell implantation was performed in 8 sheep. A skeletal muscle biopsy sample ( approximately 10 g) was explanted from each animal. The sheep were left to recover for approximately 3 hours and reanesthetized when the cells were ready for implantation. A left fifth intercostal thoracotomy was performed, and 10 epicardial injections of the muscle preparation (between 10 and 20 million cells) were carried out. All sheep were euthanized 3 weeks after myocardial implantation. Immunohistochemistry was performed with monoclonal antibodies to a fast skeletal isoform of myosin heavy chain. Skeletal myosin heavy-chain expression was detected in all slides at 3 weeks after implantation in 8 of 8 animals, confirming engraftment of skeletal muscle cells. Massive areas of engraftment (from 2 to 9 mm in diameter) or discrete loci were noted within the myocardial wall.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that noncultured skeletal muscle cells can successfully and massively engraft in ovine myocardium. Thus, avoiding the cell culture expansion phase is feasible and could become a promising option for cellular cardiomyoplasty.
authors.affiliation: IMM Recherche, Institut Mutualiste Montosuris, 75014 Paris, France. cera@imm.fr
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Borenstein
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bruneval
authors.forename: Mehrak
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hekmati
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bovin
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pinset
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laborde
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Montarras
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D017570:MyoD Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012756:Sheep; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D017570:MyoD Protein; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains