Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have the potential to differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells following induction of 5-azacytidine in vitro. Whether transplanted stem cells could improve cardiac function was unclear.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the changes in cardiac function following transplantation of BMSCs with or without induction of 5-azacytidine into tissues of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
METHODS: New Zealand rabbits were developed into AMI models by ligating left anterior descending artery. Phosphate buffered saline, 5-azacytidine-induced or non-induced BMSCs were separately injected into the surrounding regions of myocardial infarct tissues. Three days or four weeks after transplantation, echocardiogram was used to measure left ventricular end diastolic volume, ventricular end-systolic volume and ejection fraction to evaluate changes in cardiac function.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Following anterior descending branch ligation, the cardiac function was significantly decreased. At 3 days following transplantation, no significant difference was determined in left ventricular end diastolic volume, ventricular end-systolic volume and ejection fraction in each group. These suggested that transplantation of 5-azacytidine-induced and non-induced BMSCs did not affect rabbit cardiac function in a short phase. At 4 weeks following transplantation, compared with control group, transplanted BMSCs could decrease left ventricular end diastolic volume, ventricular end-systolic volume and ejection fraction. However, there were no obvious differences of cardiac function between 5-aza+BMSCs and BMSCs transplantation.