Left Ventricular Geometry and Angiogenesis Improvement in Rat Chronic Ischemic Cardiomyopathy following Injection of Encapsulated Mesenchymal Stem Cells

oleh: Negar Karimi Hajishoreh, Nafiseh Baheiraei, Nasim Naderi, Mojdeh Salehnia, Mehdi Razavi

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Royan Institute (ACECR), Tehran 2022-12-01

Deskripsi

ObjectiveInjection of hydrogel and cells into myocardial infarction (MI) patients is one of the emerging treatmenttechniques, however, it has some limitations such as a lack of electromechanical properties and neovascularization.We investigated the therapeutic potential of new electroactive hydrogel [reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Alginate (ALG)]encapsulated human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs).Materials and MethodsThe experimental study involved ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) inrat models of chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy. Echocardiograms were analyzed at 4 and 8 weeks after MI treatment.In the eighth week after injection in the heart, the rats were sacrificed. Histological and immunohistochemical analyseswere performed using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining, Masson’s trichrome staining and anti-CD31 antibody toanalyze tissue structure and detect neovascularization.ResultsIn comparison to the control and other treatment groups, MSCs encapsulated in rGO-ALG showed significantimprovements in fractional shortening (FS), ejection fraction (EF), wall thickness and internal diameters (P<0.05). Themorphological observation showed several small blood vessels formed around the transplantation site in all treatedgroups especially in the MSC-ALG-rGO group 8 weeks after the transplantation. Also, Masson’s trichrome stainingindicated an increased amount of collagen fibers in rGO-ALG-MSC. Microvessel density was significantly higher usingMSC-ALG-rGO compared to controls (P<0.01).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that intramyocardial injection of rGO/ALG, a bio-electroactive hydrogel, is safefor increasing LV function, neovascularization, and adjusting electrical characteristics following MI. The results confirmALG promising capability as a natural therapeutic for cardiac regeneration.