title: Exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor promotes cardiac stem cell-mediated myocardial regeneration after miniswine acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on myocardial regeneration after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  AMI models were established by ligating the mid-third of left anterior descending artery, thereafter, miniswines were randomly divided into control (none treatment, n = 6) and bFGF groups (n = 6). For the bFGF group, bFGF (100 μg) was injected with a sterile microinjection at five sites within the ischemic region. 5-Bromo-2-deoxyuridine (250 mg) was administrated intravenously twice a week after the operation, to label cells undergoing DNA replication. The expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), cardiac stem cell-mediated myocardial regeneration, myocardial apoptosis, histological and immunohistochemical analyses, and cardiac function were evaluated at different time points.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four weeks after bFGF therapy, it showed an increased vessel density and myocardial perfusion (P < 0.001), upregulative expression of SDF-1α and CXCR4 (P < 0.001), increased c-kit and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine-positive cells (P < 0.001), enhanced myocardial viability (P < 0.001), and improved left ventricular ejection fraction (P = 0.007), compared with the control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exogenous bFGF was shown to have increased angiogenesis and myocardial perfusion, promoted myocardial regeneration by activating the SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis, and thereby improved the cardiac function, which may provide a new therapeutic strategy for AMI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Hai
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guang-Wei
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Tian-Xiang
authors.initials: TX
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li-Ling
authors.forename: Ti
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D032386:Myoblasts, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000187:drug effects; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000502:physiology; D012038:Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2