Evidence that intracoronary-injected CD133+ peripheral blood progenitor cells home to the myocardium in chronic postinfarction heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
To study the biodistribution of purified CD133(+) cells after intracoronary injection in patients with stable chronic postinfarction heart failure.


METHODS
Patients with longstanding myocardial infarction (>12 months prior to inclusion) and with an accessible left coronary artery were eligible. CD133(+) cells were mobilized with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and purified with a CliniMACS device. Cells were labeled with (111)Indium and injected through a balloon catheter in a coronary artery feeding the necrotic or viable infarct-related region of the left ventricle during a standard coronary catheterization procedure. The total body biodistribution of (111)Indium was studied with a dual-head gamma camera in combination with (99m)Technetium-sestaMIBI cardiac distribution analysis.


RESULTS
The number of CD133(+) cells injected ranged between 5 and 10 x 10(6) cells (low dose, three patients) or between 18.5 and 50 x 10(6) cells (high dose, five patients). In the five patients receiving the higher cell doses, a clear residual radioactivity was observed at the level of the chronic injury at 2, 12, and up to 36 hours after injection. A detailed analysis in two patients showed 6.9% to 8.0% (after 2 hours) and 2.3% to 3.2% (after 12 hours) residual radioactivity at the heart. No adverse events were observed during the procedure and up to 3 months follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrate that CD133(+) progenitor cells are capable of homing to the postinfarction remodeling myocardium after intracoronary injections in patients with chronic postinfarction heart failure.
Schots
Rik
R
Department of Clinical Hematology and Stem Cell Laboratory, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Belgium. rik.schots@az.vub.ac.be
De Keulenaer
Gilles
G
Schoors
Danny
D
Caveliers
Vicky
V
Dujardin
Martine
M
Verheye
Stefan
S
Van Camp
Guy
G
Franken
Philippe R
PR
Roland
Jan
J
Van Riet
Ivan
I
Everaert
Hendrik
H
D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD; D006023:Glycoproteins; C000606023:PROM1 protein, human; D010455:Peptides