In vivo differentiation of human amniotic epithelial cells into cardiomyocyte-like cells and cell transplantation effect on myocardial infarction in rats: comparison with cord blood and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Cell Transplant. 2012;21(8):1687-96. doi: 10.3727/096368912X653039. Epub 2012 Jul 5.

Abstract

Human amniotic epithelial cells (h-AECs), which have various merits as a cell source for cell therapy, are known to differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vitro. However, the ability of h-AECs to differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vivo and their cell transplantation effects on myocardial infarction are still unknown. In this study, we assessed whether h-AECs could differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vivo and whether h-AECs transplantation can decrease infarct size and improve cardiac function, in comparison to transplantation of cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or adipose tissue-derived MSCs. For our study, we injected h-AECs, cord blood-derived MSCs, adipose tissue-derived MSCs, and saline into areas of myocardial infarction in athymic nude rats. After 4 weeks, 3% of the surviving h-AECs expressed myosin heavy chain, a marker specific to the myocardium. Compared with the saline group, all cell-implanted groups showed a higher ejection fraction, lower infarct area by positron emission tomography and histology, and more abundant myocardial gene and protein expression in the infarct area. We showed that h-AECs can differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells, decrease infarct size, and improve cardiac function in vivo. The beneficial effects of h-AECs were comparable to those of cord blood and adipose tissue-derived MSCs. These results support the need for further studies of h-AECs as a cell source for myocardial regeneration due to their plentiful availability, low immunity, and lack of ethical issues related to their use.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / cytology*
  • Amnion / cytology*
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Echocardiography
  • Epithelial Cells / cytology*
  • Epithelial Cells / transplantation
  • Fetal Blood / cytology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Myocardial Infarction / diagnostic imaging
  • Myocardial Infarction / pathology
  • Myocardial Infarction / therapy*
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / metabolism*
  • Myosin Heavy Chains / metabolism
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Radiography
  • Rats
  • Rats, Nude

Substances

  • Myosin Heavy Chains