title: Marrow-derived MSCs and atorvastatin improve cardiac function in rat model of AMI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Both atorvastatin and cell-based therapy were reportedly beneficial to ventricular function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In this study, we sought to study the synergistic effects of marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and atorvastatin in a rat model of AMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  To create a rat model of AMI, left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligations were performed on 40 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. After the establishment of AMI, animals were randomly divided into 4 groups to receive variant treatments: control, MSCs only, atorvastatin only, and MSCs plus atorvastatin, with 10 animals in each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four weeks following the treatments, the hemodynamic testing showed significant functional improvement in animals that received MSCs plus atorvastatin compared with controls, MSCs or atorvastatin only treated animals. Histological analysis showed more MSCs were present in animals receiving combination therapy than in animals which received MSCs alone. Vessel density was higher in animals receiving combination therapy than in other groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that either atorvastatin or MSCs cannot individually improve ventricular function significantly. However, atorvastatin synergistically enhanced the beneficial effects of MSCs in the treatment of AMI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Mei Shan Road, Hefei 230022, China. wal@ah.edu.cn
authors.forename: Ailing
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fengqiang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Youfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000502:physiology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D011758:Pyrroles; D000069059:Atorvastatin