ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the feasibility of transplantation of human fetal liver-delivered mesenchymal stem cells(HFMSCs) and porous microcarries into normal heart tissue and whether it can improve heart function and regeneration of heart tissue.Methods SD rats were divided into HFMSCs injection group(n=9),microcarrier injection group(n=9) and control group(n=4),in which 80-100 ?l Perfadex with HFMSCs or gelatin porous microcarriers or pure Perfadex was injected into the wall of left ventricle.Heart function was evaluated by UCG before and 7 d after transplantation.On day 7,14,the survival of HFMSCs was tested by fluorescent in situ hybridization(FISH),regeneration or cardiac differentiation by immunohistological staining against desmin,tropomyosin and lectin,cellular immune response by the infiltration of macrophages,and lymphocyte reaction to HFMSCs by mixed lymphocyte culture(MLC) in vitro.Results Seven days after injection,the HFMSCs survived and improved the heart function,though no sign of differentiation into cardiomyocytes was seen.On day 14,a large amount of macrophages infiltrated into injection sites,and MLC showed prominent enhancement of proliferation of lymphocytes,when no transplanted cells were detected in the myocardium.On day 7,14,the microcarriers retained their round shape at the injection sites and were attatched by a large quantity of cells which were proven not cardiomyocytes or capilaries by immunohistological staining.Conclusion Transplantation of HFMSCs into normal heart improves heart function by short-period survival without differentiation,but the transplanted cells disappeared because of immune reaction.Transplantation of porous microcarriers into normal heart could not improve heart function either by regeneration of heart tissue or capilaries.