Mesenchymal Stem Cells Provide Better Results Than Hematopoietic Precursors for the Treatment of Myocardial Infarction

Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of human CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to treat myocardial infarction (MI) in a model of permanent left descendent coronary artery (LDA) ligation in nude rats. Background Transplantation of human CD34(+) cells and MSC has been proved to be effective in treating MI, but no comparative studies have been performed to elucidate which treatment prevents left ventricular (LV) remodelling more efficiently. Methods Human bone marrow MSC or freshly isolated CD34(+) cells from umbilical cord blood were injected intramyocardially in infarcted nude rats. Cardiac function was analyzed by echoc…