The Protective Role of PDGF-BB Gene Transfer After Myocardial Infarction

Functional regeneration of infarcted myocardium is still a big challenge in the therapy of cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, PDGF-BB gene therapy was investigated after myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. We found that the infarct size of male rats treated with PBS(control) group was 0.436plusmn0.128, while it was 0.280plusmn0.055 in the male rats of PDGF-BB gene transferred group. The difference between these two groups is statistically significant (p<0.05). In addition, the infarct size of female rats of the PBS group was found to be 0.309plusmn0.061, while it was 0.240plusmn0.032 in female rats of the PDGF-BB gene transferred group (p<0.05). Moreover, the PDGF-BB gene injected animals had greater preservation of normal left ventricle (LV) geometry compared with the control animals, including improved wall thickness of the border zone (PBS vs. PDGF-BB gene group: 1.816plusmn0.507 mm Vs. 2.331plusmn0.265 mm in male; and 1.749 plusmn0.473 mm Vs. 2.409 plusmn0.242 mm in female; p<0.05). However, the thickness of infarct myocardium was not significantly different between the PBS control and the PDGF-BB gene group (PBS vs. PDGF-BB gene group: 0.744plusmn0.081 mm Vs.0.841plusmn0.086 mm in male; 0.576plusmn0.059 mm Vs. 0.981plusmn0.435 mm in female; p>0.05). Our results indicate that PDGF-BB gene therapy after MI was able to play a therapeutic and protective effect in MI to improve poor regeneration of infarcted myocardium. Furthermore the PDGF-BB gene mediated therapeutic angiogenesis did not have the gender difference.