ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Stem cell transplantation has been shown to have beneficial effects on dilated cardiomyopathy. However, mechanism for stem cell homing to cardiac tissue in dilated cardiomyopathy has not yet been elucidated.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mesenchymal stem cells were obtained from rat bone marrow, expanded in vitro, and labeled with (99m)Tc. Cardiomyopathy model was induced by doxorubicin in rats. (99m)Tc labeled cells were infused into the left ventricles in cardiomyopathy and control rats. Sixteen hours after injection, animals were sacrificed and different tissues were harvested to measure specific radioactivity. By use of real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, mRNA and protein expressions for stromal-cell-derived factor 1 in cardiac tissue were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Labeling efficiency of mesenchymal stem cells was (70.0 ± 11.2)%. Sixteen hours after mesenchymal stem cell transplantation, the heart-to-muscle radioactivity ratio was increased significantly in cardiomyopathy hearts as compared to control hearts. Both mRNA and protein expressions of stromal-cell-derived factor 1 were up-regulated in cardiomyopathy hearts as compared with control hearts.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In dilated cardiomyopathy induced by doxorubicin up-regulated expression of stromal-cell-derived factor 1 in heart may induce mesenchymal stem cells home to the heart.</p>