Adipose Stromal Vascular Fraction Improves Cardiac Function in Chronic Myocardial Infarction Through Differentiation and Paracrine Activity

Fresh adipose-derived cells have been shown to be effective in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (MI), but their role in the chronic setting is unknown. We sought to determine the long-term effect of the adipose derived-stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cell transplantation in a rat model of chronic MI. MI was induced in 82 rats by permanent coronary artery ligation and 5 weeks later rats were allocated to receive an intramyocardial injection of 107 GFP-expressing fresh SVF cells or culture media as control. Heart function and tissue metabolism were determined by echocardiography and 18F-FDG-microPET, respectively, and histological studies were performed for up to 3 months after t…