title: Human angiogenic cell precursors restore function in the infarcted rat heart: a comparison of cell delivery routes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We recently isolated angiogenic cell precursors (ACPs) from human blood, which can induce angiogenesis in vitro.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In the present study, we used a nude rat model of ischaemic cardiomyopathy to compare the efficacy of intramyocardial and intracoronary ACP implantation, and to evaluate effects on cardiac function, scar size and angiogenesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adult nude rats underwent coronary artery ligation. Six days later, ACPs (characterized in vitro prior to implantation) or culture media were injected directly into the ischaemic myocardial region or into the coronary artery via the aorta. Cardiac function was measured by echocardiography prior to and at 2 and 4 weeks after implantation. Scar morphology, cell engraftment, and myocardial angiogenesis were evaluated at 4 weeks. Two and four weeks after implantation, cardiac function declined in both of the control groups but improved in both the intramyocardial and intracoronary ACP groups. Significant reductions in myocardial scar area were only observed in the intramyocardial ACP group, while increases in blood vessel density, which were observed in all ACP recipients, were greatest in the intracoronary ACP group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human ACPs, delivered via intramyocardial or intracoronary injection, engrafted into damaged cardiac tissue and improved cardiac function within 4 weeks through effects on scar morphology and blood vessel formation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Toronto General Research Institute, Toronto General Hospital and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shu-Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Porozov
authors.forename: Adina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belleli
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fulga
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Porat
authors.forename: Ren-Ke
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D006801:Humans; D007269:Injections, Intra-Arterial; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D051381:Rats; D011923:Rats, Nude; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
chemical_list: D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; C032629:acetyl-LDL