Therapeutic angiogenesis with autologous hepatic tissue implantation and omental wrapping.
BACKGROUND
The liver produces various angiogenic and cytoprotective growth factors and the omentum has potent angiogenic properties that promote wound healing. The ability of hepatic tissue implantation plus omental wrapping to induce angiogenesis and restore cardiac function was investigated in a rat model of infarction.


RESULTS
Myocardial infarction was induced in rats using coronary artery ligation. The omentum was wrapped (omentopexy group), hepatic tissue implantation was combined with omental wrapping (hepatic tissue implantation (H) group) or no other treatment was applied (control (C) group), and then ventricular function was evaluated by echocardiography 4 weeks later. Infarct size, ventricular remodeling, vascular density and collagen density were morphometrically and histologically evaluated. The expression of angiogenic growth factors in implanted tissues was examined using RT-PCR. The H group had thicker (p<0.05) and less expanded infarcts (p<0.001), as well as higher capillary (p<0.01) and arteriolar (p<0.05) density in the infarct border zone, than the C group. Hepatocyte growth factor was obviously expressed and the expression of both basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor was increased in the H group.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatic tissue implantation combined with omental wrapping stimulated angiogenesis, attenuated left ventricular remodeling and improved cardiac function.
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
Zhan-Qiang
ZQ
Shao
Michio
M
Kawasuji
Kentaro
K
Takaji
Yukihiro
Y
Katayama
Mai
M
Matsukawa
D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004452:Echocardiography; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008099:Liver; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D009852:Omentum; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D016378:Tissue Transplantation; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents