Cell & Stem Cell Research

In recent years, regenerative cell therapy has been widely explored for the treatment of myocardial infarction (MI). However, although transplantation of the stem cell population ADSC (adipose-derived stem cells) in chronic MI is associated with functional improvement, its therapeutic value is limited due to poor long-term cell engraftment and survival. Thus, the objective of our study was to examine whether transplantation of collagen patches seeded with ADSC could enhance cell engraftment and improve cardiac function in models of chronic MI. Chronically infarcted Sprague-Dawley rats (n=58) were divided into four groups and transplanted with media, collagen scaffold (CS), rat ADSC, or CS seeded with rat ADSC (CS-rADSC). Cell engraftment, histological changes, and cardiac function were assessed four months after transplantation. Functional and histological assessments were performed three months post-transplantation. Transplantation of CS-rADSC was associated with increased cell engraftment, significant improvement in cardiac function, myocardial remodeling, and revascularization. Next, their therapeutic potential was tested in a preclinical model of CMI. Gottingen minipigs (n=18) were subjected to MI and then transplanted two months later with CS or CS seeded with pig ADSC (CS-pADSC). transplantation of CS-pADSC in the preclinical swine model improved cardiac function and was associated with decreased fibrosis and increased vasculogenesis. In conclusion, transplantation of CS-ADSC resulted in enhanced cell engraftment and was associated with a significant improvement in cardiac function and myocardial remodeling.