Cell body distribution after bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells intramyocardial injection into a rat myocardial infarction model

Abstract

Objective To study the systemic distribution of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) 24 h and 2 weeks after cell injection into the border zone of myocardial infarction area. Methods MSCs from male SD rats were labeled with Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). Three weeks after in-duction of myocardial infarction,female SD rats were randomized into 2 groups. Labeled cells (3 × 10~6 ,50 μl) were injected into the border zone of infarcted area in the one group (n = 12) ,and PBS of equal vol-ume was injected into the border zone of infarcted area in the other group ( n = 8 ). The systemic distribu-tion of MSCs was evaluated through real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry at time points of 24 h and 2 weeks after injection, respectively. Results Cells injected into border zone of infarcted area were distribu-ted to extra-cardiac organs such as spleen,lung and liver. Twenty-four h after injection,cells mainly con-centrated in the heart (467 467 ± 191 387) ,while obvious cell loss was noted in all organs including the heart ( 112 388 ±43 751 ) 2 weeks after injection. Of immunostaining were consistent with those of real-time PCR. Conclusion After injected into the border zone of infarcted area, MSCs mainly gathered in the heart with distributions into spleen, lung, and liver. However, substantial number of cells lost with pro-longed time span. Key words: Myocardial infarction; Cell transplantation; Cell distribution