Cross-Linking Enhances Deposition of Human Endothelial Progenitor Cells in the Rat Heart after Intracoronary Transplantation

Transplantation of human endothelial progenitor cells (hEPCs) may improve vascularization and left ventricular function after myocardial infarction. The scope of this study was to explore, whether cross-linking of EPCs may enhance the deposition of cells in the rat heart after clinical-like, intraco...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sandra Burghoff, Zhaoping Ding, Angelika Blaszczyk, Andreas Wirrwar, Doris Buchholz, Hans-Wilhelm Müller, Jürgen Schrader
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2010-01-01
Series:Cell Transplantation
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3727/096368909X474834
Description
Summary:Transplantation of human endothelial progenitor cells (hEPCs) may improve vascularization and left ventricular function after myocardial infarction. The scope of this study was to explore, whether cross-linking of EPCs may enhance the deposition of cells in the rat heart after clinical-like, intracoronary transplantation. To this end, 111 In-oxinate-labeled hEPCs were infused by a minimally invasive technique into the coronary arteries of immunosuppressed Wistar rats under control conditions and after ischemia/reperfusion. In a second set of experiments hEPCs were treated with phytohemagglutinin to create small cell clusters prior to transplantation. Continous three-dimensional HiSPECT images for 1 h and after 48 h revealed that cell deposition was significantly higher when hEPCs were cross-linked. Therefore, cross-linking of hEPCs may provide a promising approach to enhance the number of trapped cells also in a clinical setting.
ISSN:0963-6897
1555-3892