title: Collagen-GAG scaffolds grafted onto myocardial infarcts in a rat model: a delivery vehicle for mesenchymal stem cells.
abstract: Various cell delivery methods have been investigated for cell transplantation treatment of cardiac infarcts. In this study, we investigated a type I collagen-glycosaminoglycan (GAG) scaffold for the implantation of adult bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into the infarcted region in the rat heart. The objective was to evaluate the tissue response to collagen-GAG scaffolds prepared using 2 cross-linking methods. The left coronary artery of female Wistar rats was occluded for 60 min, followed by reperfusion. One week later, the infarcted region was implanted with (1) collagen-GAG scaffolds cross-linked by dehydrothermal treatment alone (DHT; n = 10); (2) collagen-GAG scaffolds cross-linked by DHT followed by carbodiimide treatment (EDAC; n = 8); or (3) DHT cross-linked collagen-GAG scaffolds seeded with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled allogeneic MSCs (cell-scaffold; n = 9). Shamoperated rats served as controls (n = 4). Specimens were harvested 3 weeks after the implantation surgery. The tissue response was evaluated histomorphometrically and by immunohistochemistry to track the BrdU-labeled MSCs. Most of the DHT cross-linked collagen-GAG scaffolds degraded, whereas the scaffolds in the EDAC group appeared to be largely intact. There were no signs of acute inflammation in any of the groups. A substantial amount of neovascularization was seen in the infarcted region in the implant groups and in the scaffolds themselves. BrdU-positive cells appeared both in the degraded scaffold and the infarct region. DHT cross-linked collagen-GAG scaffolds warrant continued investigation as delivery vehicles for implantation of cells into infarcted cardiac tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Huaxi Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Ronglih
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Myron
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spector
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D003094:Collagen