Uterine-derived CD11b cells significantly increase vasculogenesis and promote myocardial healing in Ischemic cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in industrialized countries. Cell transplantation could restore function of the ischemic heart likely through the mechanism of cell-induced angiogenesis. We have previously shown that cells isolated from uteri increase angiogenesis and alleviate cardiac dysfunction when transplanted after MI. However, which uterine cell type contributes to angiogenesis is unknown. Here we report that uterine-derived CD11b cells significantly increase vasculogenesis and promote myocardial healing in ischemic cardiomyopathy. We have established a novel and simple methodology for uterine CD11b cell isolation and enrichment and demonstrate that this technique can be used for purifying and establishing viable CD11b cell cultures in rats. The isolated fresh CD11b cells were transplanted into ischemic rat hearts 5 days after injury. Following transplantation, vasculogenesis significantly increased in ischemic cardiac tissue, which reduced infarct size and restored myocardial function and perfusion compared with controls. Thus, uterine CD11b cells have the potential to promote functional healing when implanted after ischemic cardiomyopathy. Importantly, we have demonstrated a novel means by which CD11b cells can be easily purified and cultured for cell transplantation.