title: Preconditioning of mesenchymal stem cells with 2,4-dinitrophenol improves cardiac function in infarcted rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to determine if preconditioning of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) improves survival of transplanted stem cells in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI), and to asses if this strategy has measurable impact on cardiac function.
  
  
  METHODS
  MSCs were preconditioned with DNP. In vitro cell adhesion assay and qRT-PCR were performed to analyze the expression of genes involved in cardiomyogenesis, cell adhesion and angiogenesis. MI was produced by occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery. One million cells were transplanted by intramyocardial injection into the infarcted myocardium. Echocardiography was performed after two and four weeks of cellular transplantation. Hearts were harvested after four weeks and processed for histological analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DNP treated MSCs adhered to the surface more (p<0.001) as compared to the normal MSCs. Gene expression levels were significantly upregulated in case of DNP treatment. The number of viable MSCs was more (p<0.001) in animals that received DNP treated MSCs, leading to significant improvement in cardiac function. Histological analysis revealed significant reduction in scar formation (p<0.001), maintenance of left ventricular wall thickness (p<0.001), and increased angiogenesis (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study evidenced for the first time that MSCs preconditioned with DNP improved cardiac function after transplantation. This can be attributed to improved survival, homing, adhesion, and cardiomyogenic and angiogenic differentiation of DNP treated MSCs in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Irfan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan; Department of Physiology, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Anwar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Aleem
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Akhter
authors.affiliation: Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Naeem
authors.affiliation: Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan; Center for Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Maqsood Ahmed
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chotani
authors.affiliation: Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Tuba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.affiliation: Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan. Electronic address: asmat.salim@iccs.edu.
authors.forename: Asmat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salim
mesh_terms: D019297:2,4-Dinitrophenol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D004452:Echocardiography; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D019297:2,4-Dinitrophenol
keywords: Cardiac function; Cell survival; Cell therapy; DNP; Gene expression; Myocardial infarction; Regeneration; Transplantation