title: Improvement in cardiac function following transplantation of human umbilical cord matrix-derived mesenchymal cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human umbilical cord mesenchymal cells (hUCM) can be easily obtained and processed in a laboratory. These cells may be considered as a suitable source in the repair of heart failure diseases. We, therefore, examined whether these cells may contribute to heart regeneration following an acute experimental myocardial infarction (MI).
  
  
  METHODS
  MI-induced animals received 5 × 10(6) hUCM cells, 5 × 10(6) 5-azacytidine-treated cells (dhUCM), or PBS alone, subepicardially. A group of animals with MI and no other former intervention served as controls. dhUCM cells were assessed for F-actin, myogenin and troponin-I expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  dhUCM cells appeared as binucleated cells with extensive cytoplasmic processes. These differentiated cells were F-actin and myogenin positive. Thirty days after LAD ligation, left ventricular ejection fraction and the percentage of fractional shortening improved significantly in cell-receiving animals. In addition, the amount of scar tissue was significantly reduced in hUCM and dhUCM groups compared to MI group (p < 0.05). These parameters were comparable between hUCM and dhUCM groups. Histopathological evaluations revealed that some engrafted cells adjacent to and remote from the MI area expressed troponin-I, F-actin and connexin43.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrated the potential therapeutic use of either differentiated or undifferentiated hUCM cells in treatment of heart failure conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Latifpour
authors.forename: Seyed Noureddin
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Nematollahi-Mahani
authors.forename: Massoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deilamy
authors.forename: Behzad Sorour
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Azimzadeh
authors.forename: Seyed Hasan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Eftekhar-Vaghefi
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nabipour
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Najafipour
authors.forename: Nouzar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakhaee
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaghoubi
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eftekhar-Vaghefi
authors.forename: Parvin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salehinejad
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Azizi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000503:physiopathology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008026:Ligation; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011817:Rabbits; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000166:cytology*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000503:physiopathology