title: Preventing cardiac remodeling: the combination of cell-based therapy and cardiac support therapy preserves left ventricular function in rodent model of myocardial ischemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cellular and mechanical treatment to prevent heart failure each holds therapeutic promise but together have not been reported yet. The goal of the present study was to determine whether combining a cardiac support device with cell-based therapy could prevent adverse left ventricular remodeling, more than either therapy alone.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was completed in 2 parts. In the first part, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from rodent femurs and seeded on a collagen-based scaffold. In the second part, myocardial infarction was induced in 60 rats. The 24 survivors were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: control, stem cell therapy, cardiac support device, and a combination of stem cell therapy and cardiac support device. Left ventricular function was measured with biweekly echocardiography, followed by end-of-life histopathologic analysis at 6 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After myocardial infarction and treatment intervention, the ejection fraction remained preserved (74.9-80.2%) in the combination group at an early point (2 weeks) compared with the control group (66.2-82.8%). By 6 weeks, the combination therapy group had a significantly greater fractional area of change compared with the control group (69.2% ± 6.7% and 49.5% ± 6.1% respectively, P = .03). Also, at 6 weeks, the left ventricular wall thickness was greater in the combination group than in the stem cell therapy alone group (1.79 ± 0.11 and 1.33 ± 0.13, respectively, P = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combining a cardiac support device with stem cell therapy preserves left ventricular function after myocardial infarction, more than either therapy alone. Furthermore, stem cell delivery using a cardiac support device is a novel delivery approach for cell-based therapies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Suyog A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mokashi
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Dahai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Vakhtang
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tchantchaleishvili
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brigham
authors.forename: Stu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lipsitz
authors.forename: Lawrence S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Schmitto
authors.forename: R Morton
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bolman
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khademhosseini
authors.forename: Ronglih
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Frederick Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling