1 research outputs found
Improvement in Cardiac Function following Transplantation of Human Umbilical Cord Matrix-Derived Mesenchymal Cells
Objectives: 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. Re-sults: 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.
Conclusion: These findings demonstrated the
potential therapeutic use of either differentiated or undifferentiated
hUCM cells in treatment of heart failure conditions