Mitotically inactivated embryonic stem cells can be used as an in vivo feeder layer to nurse damaged myocardium after acute myocardial infarction: A preclinical study

Richard K. Burt*, You Hong Chen, Larissa Verda, Carolina Lucena, Shankararao Navale, Jesse Johnson, Xiaoqiang Han, Jon Lomasney, Jessa M. Baker, Ka Leung Ngai, Aya Kino, James Carr, Jan Kajstura, Piero Anversa

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

RATIONALE: Various types of viable stem cells have been reported to result in modest improvement in cardiac function after acute myocardial infarction. The mechanisms for improvement from different stem cell populations remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether irradiated (nonviable) embryonic stem cells (iESCs) improve postischemic cardiac function without adverse consequences. METHODS AND RESULTS: After coronary artery ligation-induced cardiac infarction, either conditioned media or male murine or male human iESCs were injected into the penumbra of ischemic myocardial tissue of female mice or female rhesus macaque monkeys, respectively. Murine and human iESCs, despite irradiation doses that prevented proliferation and induced cell death, significantly improved cardiac function and decreased infarct size compared with untreated or media-treated controls. Fluorescent in situ hybridization of the Y chromosome revealed disappearance of iESCs within the myocardium, whereas 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine assays revealed de novo in vivo cardiomyocyte DNA synthesis. Microarray gene expression profiling demonstrated an early increase in metabolism, DNA proliferation, and chromatin remodeling pathways, and a decrease in fibrosis and inflammatory gene expression compared with media-treated controls. CONCLUSIONS: As a result of irradiation before injection, ex vivo and in vivo iESC existence is transient, yet iESCs provide a significant improvement in cardiac function after acute myocardial infarction. The mechanism(s) of action of iESCs seems to be related to cell-cell exchange, paracrine factors, and a scaffolding effect between iESCs and neighboring host cardiomyocytes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1286-1296
Number of pages11
JournalCirculation research
Volume111
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 26 2012

Keywords

  • acute myocardial infarction
  • embryonic stem cells
  • irradiated stem cells

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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