Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells via intramuscular injection influence the expression of cytokines related to dilated cardiomyopathy in rats

Jiang Yan-jie; Mao Cheng-gang; Ning Xian-feng; Li Rong; Li Zi-pu

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2015.14.009

Abstract：BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that intramuscular transplantation of xenogeneic umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cel s in a certain dose range is safe and reliable, and it also confirm that this approach is equal y safe and effective for heart failure in rats with dilated cardiomyopathy. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cel s through intramuscular injection on the cytokine expression in adriamycin-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) rats. METHODS:Total y 160 rats were randomly divided into control group (n=20) and DCM group (n=140). Rats in the DCM group were administered adriamycin intraperitoneal y to establish DCM model. The DCM rats were randomly subdivided into model control group (served as model group), cel supernatant group, the low-dose mesenchymal stem cel group (served as low-dose group), the middle-dose mesenchymal stem cel group (served as middle-dose group), and the high-dose mesenchymal stem cel s group (served as high-dose group). Secondary injection was performed at 4 weeks after first injection. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The ELISA test showed that the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), leukemia inhibitor factor (LIF) and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were higher in the model group than the control group before and after intramuscular injection (P<0.05). After intramuscular injection, the levels of HGF, LIF, GM-CSF and VEGF in the low-dose group were increased significantly (P<0.05), which were significantly higher than those in the model group (P<0.05). The level of LIF in the middle-dose group was significantly elevated after injection (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in HGF, VEGF and GM-CSF levels in the high-dose group before and after intramuscular injection (P>0.05). Both the immunohistochemical and RT-PCR results showed that the expressions of insulin-like growth factor-1, VEGF and HGF were increased in al the DCM rats as compared with the control group, which were increased most in the middle-dose group. These findings indicate that low-dose and middle-dose human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cel s intramuscular injection can increase the serum levels of HGF, LIF, GM-CSF, VEGF and the expressions of IGF-1, HGF and VEGF in the myocardium of DCM rats.