title: In vivo differentiation of human amniotic epithelial cells into cardiomyocyte-like cells and cell transplantation effect on myocardial infarction in rats: comparison with cord blood and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells.
abstract: Human amniotic epithelial cells (h-AECs), which have various merits as a cell source for cell therapy, are known to differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vitro. However, the ability of h-AECs to differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vivo and their cell transplantation effects on myocardial  infarction are still unknown. In this study, we assessed whether h-AECs could differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vivo and whether h-AECs transplantation can decrease infarct size and improve cardiac function, in comparison to transplantation of cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)  or adipose tissue-derived MSCs. For our study, we injected h-AECs, cord blood-derived MSCs, adipose tissue-derived MSCs, and saline into areas of myocardial infarction in athymic nude rats. After 4 weeks, 3% of the surviving h-AECs expressed myosin heavy chain, a marker specific to the myocardium.  Compared with the saline group, all cell-implanted groups showed a higher ejection fraction, lower infarct area by positron emission tomography and histology, and more abundant myocardial gene and protein expression in the infarct area. We showed that h-AECs can differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like  cells, decrease infarct size, and improve cardiac function in vivo. The beneficial effects of h-AECs were comparable to those of cord blood and adipose tissue-derived MSCs. These results support the need for further studies of h-AECs as a cell source for myocardial regeneration due to their  plentiful availability, low immunity, and lack of ethical issues related to their use.
authors: Division of Cardiology, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors: Cheng-Hu
authors: CH
authors: Fang
authors: Jiyong
authors: J
authors: Jin
authors: Jun-Ho
authors: JH
authors: Joe
authors: Yi-Sun
authors: YS
authors: Song
authors: Byung-Im
authors: BI
authors: So
authors: Sang Moo
authors: SM
authors: Lim
authors: Gi Jeong
authors: GJ
authors: Cheon
authors: Sang-Keun
authors: SK
authors: Woo
authors: Jeong-Chan
authors: JC
authors: Ra
authors: Young-Yiul
authors: YY
authors: Lee
authors: Kyung-Soo
authors: KS
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology*; D000650:Amnion / Q000166:cytology*; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004452:Echocardiography; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism*; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000378:metabolism; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011859:Radiography; D051381:Rats; D011923:Rats, Nude
chemical_list: D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains