title: Intramyocardial peptide nanofiber injection improves postinfarction ventricular remodeling and efficacy of bone marrow cell therapy in pigs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Growing evidence suggests that intramyocardial biomaterial injection improves cardiac functions after myocardial infarction (MI) in rodents. Cell therapy is another promising approach to treat MI, although poor retention of transplanted cells is a major challenge. In this study, we hypothesized that intramyocardial injection of self-assembling peptide nanofibers (NFs) thickens the infarcted myocardium and increases transplanted autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (MNC) retention to attenuate cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in a pig MI model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 40 mature minipigs were divided into 5 groups: sham, MI+normal saline, MI+NFs, MI+MNCs, and MI+MNCs/NFs. MI was induced by coronary occlusion followed by intramyocardial injection of 2 mL normal saline or 1% NFs with or without 1×10(8) isolated autologous MNCs. NF injection significantly improved diastolic function and reduced ventricular remodeling 28 days after treatment. Injection of MNCs alone ameliorated systolic function only, whereas injection of MNCs with NFs significantly improved both systolic and diastolic functions as indicated by +dP/dt and -dP/dt (1214.5±91.9 and -1109.7±91.2 mm Hg/s in MI+NS, 1693.7±84.7 and -1809.6±264.3 mm Hg/s in MI+MNCs/NFs, respectively), increased transplanted cell retention (29.3±4.5 cells/mm(2) in MI+MNCs and 229.4±41.4 cells/mm(2) in MI+MNCs/NFs) and promoted capillary density in the peri-infarct area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated that NF injection alone prevents ventricular remodeling, whereas cell implantation with NFs improves cell retention and cardiac functions after MI in pigs. This unprecedented combined treatment in a large animal model has therapeutic effects, which can be translated to clinical applications in the foreseeable future.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University & Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Dong
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ming-Long
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Yu-Jen
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Da-Ching
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Ting-Yu
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Ya-Yun
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Min-Yao
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yen-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Alan C L
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Tsai-Yun
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chwan-Yau
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Kung-Chao
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Jyh-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hua-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Tin-Kan
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Patrick C H
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010455:Peptides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013552:Swine; D013556:Swine, Miniature; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides