title: Protective paracrine effect of mesenchymal stem cells on cardiomyocytes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to test the protective effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on cardiomyocytes in vitro and to investigate the anti-apoptotic signaling pathway.
  
  
  METHODS
  MSCs from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were separated and cultured. MSC medium was collected from MSCs cultured in serum-free Dulbecco's modified eagle medium (DMEM) under hypoxia. Cultured cardiomyocytes from neonatal SD rats were exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) and treated with MSC medium. The apoptotic cardiomyocytes were stained with Annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), Hoechst 33342 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). The mitochondrial transmembrane potential of cardiomyocytes was assessed using a fluorescence microscope. The expression of Bcl-2, Bax, cytochrome C, apoptosis-induced factor (AIF), and caspase-3 was tested by Western blot analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data demonstrated that MSC medium reduced H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, and reduced the release of cytochrome C and AIF from mitochondria into the cytosol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MSCs protected the cardiomyocytes from H/R-induced apoptosis through a mitochondrial pathway in a paracrine manner.
authors: Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors: Mei-xiang
authors: MX
authors: Xiang
authors: Ai-na
authors: AN
authors: He
authors: Jian-an
authors: JA
authors: Wang
authors: Chun
authors: C
authors: Gui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D051033:Apoptosis Inducing Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D019610:Cytoprotection; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: C494831:Aifm1 protein, rat; D051033:Apoptosis Inducing Factor; C494828:Bax protein, rat; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D045304:Cytochromes c; D053148:Caspase 3