A promising technique for transplantation of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells into rat heart

Objective estigate the feasibility of intracoronary application of endothelial progenitor cells and the subsequent distribution within the heart. s elial progenitors cells (EPCs) cultured from rat bone marrow were identified by double-positive staining with Dil-Ac-LDL and BS1-lectin. Twenty-four hours before cell transplantation, EPCs were labeled with 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU). Cells (5×105 in 250-μl medium) were injected into healthy rats, either as intracoronary application (n=11) or as intramyocardial injection (n=6). At 15 min or 3 days posttransplantation, hearts as well as other organs (lung, liver, kidney, and spleen) were collected and processed for subsequent BrdU immunohistochemistry. The number of BrdU-positive cells per tissue area was counted. s ed to intramyocardial injection, intracoronary administration resulted in more than twice as much positive cells in the heart (P<.05), with no local differences within the heart. Whereas after 15 min, EPCs were equally distributed in all examined organs (except for the spleen), cells that were still present after 3 days, approximately 10%, were selectively restricted to the heart. sions ta indicate that the intracoronary application provides a promising technique for EPC transplantation in the rat heart.