Efficacy of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells in cardiac muscle repair in an experimental acute myocardial infarction model using nude rats (Crl:NIH-Fox1RNU)

Abstract

This study was designed to compare the efficacy of intraventricular (IV), intramyocardial (IM) or combined IV and IM injections of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hADSCs) administered either immediately, 5, or 10 days after induction of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a nude rat model. Acute myocardial infarction was induced in 99, adult (250–350 g BW), male nude rats strain Crl:NIH-Fox1RNU. Rats received either no cells (group I, n = 15) or 2 million, hADSCs as follows: group II (n = 19) IV injection immediately after AMI; group III (n = 18) IV injection 5 days after AMI; group IV (n = 15) IV injection 5 days and IM injection 10 days after AMI; group V (n = 17) IV injection immediately after AMI and IM injection 10 days after AMI and group VI (n = 15) IM injection 10 days after AMI. Tissue sections from hearts were studied using H&E and immunohistochemistry. In the control group, there was a tendency toward granulation tissue formation, active phagocytosis, and variable angiogenesis when evaluated at 10 days, early fibrosis when evaluated at 30 days, and established fibrosis when evaluated at 60 days. However, hADSC-treated groups showed a tendency toward cardiomyocyte regeneration and prominent angiogenesis when evaluated at 10 days and smaller infarction size when evaluated at 30 and 60 days. The present study showed a significantly decreased amount of scar tissue following myocardial infarction and enhanced regenerative capacity of myocardial cells following a single, intraventricular injection of 2 million hADSCs immediately after AMI.