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ABSTRACT: Dilated cardiomyopathy is a serious and life-threatening disorder in children. It is the most common form of pediatric cardiomyopathy. Therapy for this condition has varied little over the last several decades and mortality continues to be high. Currently, children with dilated cardiomyopathy are treated with pharmacological agents and mechanical support, but most require heart transplantation and survival rates are not optimal. The lack of common treatment guidelines and inadequate survival rates after transplantation necessitates more therapeutic clinical trials. Stem cell and cell-based therapies offer an innovative approach to restore cardiac structure and function towards normal, possibly reducing the need for aggressive therapies and cardiac transplantation. Mesenchymal stem cells and cardiac stem cells may be the most promising cell types for treating children with dilated cardiomyopathy. The medical community must begin a systematic investigation of the benefits of current and novel treatments such as stem cell therapies for treating pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy.
Current Cardiology Reports 06/2013; 15(6):369.
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JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association 04/2013; 309(14):1458-9. · 30.03 Impact Factor
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Journal of the American College of Cardiology 03/2013; 61(9):933-5. · 14.16 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although the combined use of hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate has provided surprising beneficial outcomes in patients with heart failure, the underlying mechanism of action is still controversial. We used two models of nitroso-redox imbalance, neuronal NO synthase deficient (NOS1(-/-))mice and spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rats, to test the hypothesis that hydralazine alone or in combination with nitroglycerin or isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) restores Ca(2+) cycling and contractile performance and controls superoxide production in isolated cardiomyocytes. The response to increased pacing frequency was depressed in NOS1(-/-) compared to wild type (WT) myocytes. Both sarcomere length shortening and Δ[Ca(2+)](i) responses in NOS1(-/-) cardiomyocytes were augmented by hydralazine in a dose-dependent manner. Nitroglycerin alone did not affect myocyte shortening but reduced Δ[Ca(2+)](i) across the range of pacing frequencies and increased myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity thereby enhancing contractile efficiency. Similar results were seen in failing myocytes from SHHF rats. Hydralazine alone or in combination with nitroglycerin reduced SR Ca(2+) leak, improved SR Ca(2+) reuptake and restored SR Ca(2+) content. Both, hydralazine and nitroglycerin at concentrations as low as 1 μM, scavenged superoxide in isolated cardiomyocytes, whereas in cardiac homogenates, nitroglycerin inhibited xanthine oxidoreductase activity and scavenged NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide more efficiently than hydralazine. Therefore, we revealed that by reducing SR Ca(2+) leak, hydralazine improved Ca(2+) cycling and contractility impaired by nitroso-redox imbalance, and nitroglycerin enhanced the contractile efficiency, restoring cardiac excitation-contraction coupling.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 01/2013; · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although nitric oxide (NO) signaling promotes differentiation and maturation of endothelial progenitor cells, its role in the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into endothelial cells remains controversial. We tested the role of NO signaling in MSCs derived from WT mice and mice homozygous for a deletion of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR(-/-)), a denitrosylase that regulates S-nitrosylation. GSNOR(-/-) MSCs exhibited markedly diminished capacity for vasculogenesis in an in vitro Matrigel tube-forming assay and in vivo relative to WT MSCs. This decrease was associated with down-regulation of the PDGF receptorα (PDGFRα) in GSNOR(-/-) MSCs, a receptor essential for VEGF-A action in MSCs. Pharmacologic inhibition of NO synthase with L-N(G)-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and stimulation of growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) with GHRH agonists augmented VEGF-A production and normalized tube formation in GSNOR(-/-) MSCs, whereas NO donors or PDGFR antagonist reduced tube formation ∼50% by murine and human MSCs. The antagonist also blocked the rescue of tube formation in GSNOR(-/-) MSCs by L-NAME or the GHRH agonists JI-38, MR-409, and MR-356. Therefore, GSNOR(-/-) MSCs have a deficient capacity for endothelial differentiation due to downregulation of PDGFRα related to NO/GSNOR imbalance. These findings unravel important aspects of modulation of MSCs by VEGF-A activation of the PDGFR and illustrate a paradoxical inhibitory role of S-nitrosylation signaling in MSC vasculogenesis. Accordingly, disease states characterized by NO deficiency may trigger MSC-mediated vasculogenesis. These findings have important implications for therapeutic application of GHRH agonists to ischemic disorders.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 01/2013; · 9.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Background Intramyocardial injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy is associated with reverse remodeling in experimental models and humans. Here, we tested the hypothesis that allogeneic MSC therapy drives ventricular remodeling by producing durable and progressive scar size reduction in ischemic cardiomyopathy.Methods and Results Gottingen swine (n=12) underwent left anterior descending coronary artery myocardial infarction (MI), and 3 months post‐MI animals received either intramyocardial allogeneic MSC injection (200 mol/L cells; n=6) or left ventricle (LV) catheterization without injection (n=6). Swine were followed with serial cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for 9 months to assess structural and functional changes of the LV. Intramyocardial injection was performed using an integrated imaging platform combining electroanatomical mapping unipolar voltage and 3‐dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance imaging angiography–derived anatomy to accurately target i
Journal of the American Heart Association. 01/2013; 2(3).
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Adam R Williams,
Konstantinos E Hatzistergos,
Benjamin Addicott,
Fred McCall,
Decio Carvalho,
Viky Suncion,
Azorides R Morales,
Jose Da Silva,
Marc A Sussman,
Alan W Heldman, Joshua M Hare
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: As mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) induce proliferation and differentiation of c-kit+ cardiac stem cells (CSCs) in vivo and in vitro, we hypothesized that combining human (h)MSCs with c-kit+ hCSCs produces greater infarct size reduction compared to either cell administered alone after MI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Yorkshire swine underwent balloon occlusion of the LAD coronary artery followed by reperfusion, and were immunosuppressed after MI with cyclosporine and methylprednisolone. Intramyocardial injection of either: combination hCSCs/hMSCs (1M/200M, n=5), hCSCs alone (1M, n=5), hMSCs alone (200M, n=5), or placebo (PBS, n=5) was administered to the infarct border zones at 14 days post-MI. Phenotypic response to cell therapy was assessed by cardiac MRI and micromanometer conductance catheterization hemodynamics. While each cell therapy group had reduced MI size relative to placebo (p<0.05), the MI size reduction was 2-fold greater in combination vs. either cell therapy alone (p<0.05). Accompanying enhanced MI size reduction was substantial improvement in LV chamber compliance (end-diastolic pressure volume relationship, p<0.01) and contractility (preload recruitable stroke work and dP/dt(max), p<0.05) in combination treated swine. EF was restored to baseline in cell treated pigs, while placebo pigs had persistently depressed LV function (p<0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed 7-fold enhanced engraftment of stem cells in the combination therapy group vs. either cell type alone (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Combining hMSCs and hCSCs as a cell therapeutic enhances scar size reduction, and restores diastolic and systolic function toward normal after MI. Taken together these findings illustrate important biological interactions between c-kit+ CSCs and MSCs that enhance cell-based therapeutic responses.
Circulation 12/2012; · 14.74 Impact Factor
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Joshua M Hare,
Joel E Fishman,
Gary Gerstenblith,
Darcy L Difede Velazquez,
Juan P Zambrano,
Viky Y Suncion,
Melissa Tracy,
Eduard Ghersin,
Peter V Johnston,
Jeffrey A Brinker, [......],
Adam M Mendizabal,
Maureen H Lowery,
Didier Rouy,
Peter Altman,
Cheryl Wong Po Foo,
Phillip Ruiz,
Alexandra Amador,
Jose Da Silva,
Ian K McNiece,
Alan W Heldman
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ABSTRACT: CONTEXT Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are under evaluation as a therapy for ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Both autologous and allogeneic MSC therapies are possible; however, their safety and efficacy have not been compared. OBJECTIVE To test whether allogeneic MSCs are as safe and effective as autologous MSCs in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction due to ICM. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS A phase 1/2 randomized comparison (POSEIDON study) in a US tertiary-care referral hospital of allogeneic and autologous MSCs in 30 patients with LV dysfunction due to ICM between April 2, 2010, and September 14, 2011, with 13-month follow-up. INTERVENTION Twenty million, 100 million, or 200 million cells (5 patients in each cell type per dose level) were delivered by transendocardial stem cell injection into 10 LV sites. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Thirty-day postcatheterization incidence of predefined treatment-emergent serious adverse events (SAEs). Efficacy assessments included 6-minute walk test, exercise peak $$⋅VO2, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), New York Heart Association class, LV volumes, ejection fraction (EF), early enhancement defect (EED; infarct size), and sphericity index. RESULTS Within 30 days, 1 patient in each group (treatment-emergent SAE rate, 6.7%) was hospitalized for heart failure, less than the prespecified stopping event rate of 25%. The 1-year incidence of SAEs was 33.3% (n = 5) in the allogeneic group and 53.3% (n = 8) in the autologous group (P = .46). At 1 year, there were no ventricular arrhythmia SAEs observed among allogeneic recipients compared with 4 patients (26.7%) in the autologous group (P = .10). Relative to baseline, autologous but not allogeneic MSC therapy was associated with an improvement in the 6-minute walk test and the MLHFQ score, but neither improved exercise $$⋅VO2 max. Allogeneic and autologous MSCs reduced mean EED by -33.21% (95% CI, -43.61% to -22.81%; P < .001) and sphericity index but did not increase EF. Allogeneic MSCs reduced LV end-diastolic volumes. Low-dose concentration MSCs (20 million cells) produced greatest reductions in LV volumes and increased EF. Allogeneic MSCs did not stimulate significant donor-specific alloimmune reactions. CONCLUSIONS In this early-stage study of patients with ICM, transendocardial injection of allogeneic and autologous MSCs without a placebo control were both associated with low rates of treatment-emergent SAEs, including immunologic reactions. In aggregate, MSC injection favorably affected patient functional capacity, quality of life, and ventricular remodeling. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01087996.
JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association 11/2012; · 30.03 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A novel therapeutic strategy to prevent or reverse ventricular remodeling, the substrate for heart failure and arrhythmias following a myocardial infarction, is the use of cell-based therapy. Successful cell-based tissue regeneration involves a complex orchestration of cellular and molecular events that include stem cell engraftment and differentiation, secretion of anti-inflammatory and angiogenic mediators, and proliferation of endogenous cardiac stem cells. Recent therapeutic approaches involve bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells and mesenchymal stem cells, adipose tissue-derived stem cells, cardiac-derived stem cells and cell combinations. Clinical trials employing mesenchymal stem cells and cardiac- derived stem cells have demonstrated efficacy in infarct size reduction and regional wall contractility improvement. Regarding delivery methods, the safety of catheter-based, transendocardial stem cell injection has been established. These proof-of-concept studies have paved the way for ongoing pivotal trials. Future studies will focus on determining the most efficacious cell type(s) and/or cell combinations and the mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effects.
Regenerative Medicine 11/2012; 7(6 Suppl):17-24. · 3.72 Impact Factor
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Kapil Parakh,
Michelle M Kittleson,
Bettina Heidecker,
Ilan S Wittstein,
Daniel P Judge,
Hunter C Champion,
Lili A Barouch,
Kenneth L Baughman,
Stuart D Russell,
Edward K Kasper,
Kranthi K Sitammagari, Joshua M Hare
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ABSTRACT: Determining the prognosis of patients with heart failure is essential for patient management and clinical trial conduct. The relative value of traditional prognostic criteria remains unclear and the assessment of long-term prognosis for individual patients is problematic.
To determine the ability of clinical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters to predict the long-term prognosis of patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
We investigated the ability of clinical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters to predict the long-term prognosis of individual patients in a large, representative, contemporary cohort of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) patients referred to Johns Hopkins from 1997 to 2004 for evaluation of cardiomyopathy. In all patients a baseline history was taken, and physical examination, laboratory studies, echocardiogram, right heart catheterization and endomyocardial biopsy were performed.
In 171 IDCM patients followed for a median 3.5 years, there were 50 long-term event-free survivors (LTS) (median survival 6.4 years) and 34 patients died or underwent ventricular assist device placement or transplantation within 5 years (NLTS; non-long-term survivors) (median time to event 1.83 years. Established risk factors (gender, race, presence of diabetes, serum creatinine, sodium) and the use of accepted heart failure medications (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta blockers) were similar between the two groups. Although LTS had younger age, higher ejection fraction (EF) and lower New York Heart Association (NYHA) class at presentation, the positive predictive value of an EF < 25% was 64% (95% CI 41%-79%) and that of NYHA class > 2 was 53% (95% CI 36-69%). A logistic model incorporating these three variables incorrectly classified 29% of patients.
IDCM exhibits a highly variable natural history and standard clinical predictors have limited ability to classify IDCM patients into broad prognostic categories. These findings suggest that there are important host-environmental factors still unappreciated in the biology of IDCM.
The Israel Medical Association journal: IMAJ 11/2012; 14(11):666-71. · 1.02 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Sustainable and reproducible large animal models that closely replicate the clinical sequelae of myocardial infarction (MI) are important for the translation of basic science research into bedside medicine. Swine are well accepted by the scientific community for cardiovascular research, and they represent an established animal model for preclinical trials for US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of novel therapies. Here we present a protocol for using porcine models of MI created with a closed-chest coronary artery occlusion-reperfusion technique. This creates a model of MI encompassing the anteroapical, lateral and septal walls of the left ventricle. This model infarction can be easily adapted to suit individual study design and enables the investigation of a variety of possible interventions. This model is therefore a useful tool for translational research into the pathophysiology of ventricular remodeling and is an ideal testing platform for novel biological approaches targeting regenerative medicine. This model can be created in approximately 8-10 h.
Nature Protocol 08/2012; 7(8):1479-96. · 8.36 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although pharmacological and interventional advances have reduced the morbidity and mortality of ischemic heart disease, there is an ongoing need for novel therapeutic strategies that prevent or reverse progressive ventricular remodeling following myocardial infarction, the process that forms the substrate for ventricular failure. The development of cell-based therapy as a strategy to repair or regenerate injured tissue offers extraordinary promise for a powerful anti-remodeling therapy. In this regard, the field of cell therapy has made major advancements in the past decade. Accumulating data from preclinical studies have provided novel insights into stem cell engraftment, differentiation, and interactions with host cellular elements, as well as the effectiveness of various methods of cell delivery and accuracy of diverse imaging modalities to assess therapeutic efficacy. These findings have in turn guided rationally designed translational clinical investigations. Collectively, there is a growing understanding of the parameters that underlie successful cell-based approaches for improving heart structure and function in ischemic and other cardiomyopathies.
AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology 05/2012; 303(3):H256-70. · 3.71 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Evidence is accumulating to support cell-based therapies as a new approach for chronic diseases. Perhaps the area of greatest impact, in terms of patient numbers, is cardiovascular disorders. This review considers cell transplantation as a potential treatment for peripheral vascular disease, including ischemic stroke and erectile dysfunction. Bone marrow derived cells are required for endogenous repair in adult individuals affected by angiopathies. Clinical trials using progenitor cells generated from monocytic or non-monocytic cells indicate that both are effective, suggesting that angiogenesis is the result of cross talk between different cells and pathways. Currently, there are 14 registered clinical trials (ClinicalTrials.gov) examining different approaches to stem cell therapy to cure peripheral artery disease, of which 6 have completed enrollment. Here, we will review published clinical studies that used cell transplantation for peripheral vascular ischemic disorders.
Atherosclerosis 03/2012; 223(2):269-77. · 3.79 Impact Factor
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Farideh Beigi,
Daniel R Gonzalez,
Khalid M Minhas,
Qi-An Sun,
Matthew W Foster,
Shakil A Khan,
Adriana V Treuer,
Raul A Dulce,
Robert W Harrison,
Roberto M Saraiva,
Courtney Premer,
Ivonne Hernandez Schulman,
Jonathan S Stamler, Joshua M Hare
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ABSTRACT: Although protein S-nitrosylation is increasingly recognized as mediating nitric oxide (NO) signaling, roles for protein denitrosylation in physiology remain unknown. Here, we show that S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR), an enzyme that governs levels of S-nitrosylation by promoting protein denitrosylation, regulates both peripheral vascular tone and β-adrenergic agonist-stimulated cardiac contractility, previously ascribed exclusively to NO/cGMP. GSNOR-deficient mice exhibited reduced peripheral vascular tone and depressed β-adrenergic inotropic responses that were associated with impaired β-agonist-induced denitrosylation of cardiac ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2), resulting in calcium leak. These results indicate that systemic hemodynamic responses (vascular tone and cardiac contractility), both under basal conditions and after adrenergic activation, are regulated through concerted actions of NO synthase/GSNOR and that aberrant denitrosylation impairs cardiovascular function. Our findings support the notion that dynamic S-nitrosylation/denitrosylation reactions are essential in cardiovascular regulation.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 02/2012; 109(11):4314-9. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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Behzad N Oskouei,
Guillaume Lamirault,
Chacko Joseph,
Adriana V Treuer,
Stephanie Landa,
Jose Da Silva,
Konstantinos Hatzistergos,
Marc Dauer,
Wayne Balkan,
Ian McNiece, Joshua M Hare
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ABSTRACT: Whereas cardiac-derived c-kit(+) stem cells (CSCs) and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are undergoing clinical trials testing safety and efficacy as a cell-based therapy, the relative therapeutic and biologic efficacy of these two cell types is unknown. We hypothesized that human CSCs have greater ability than MSCs to engraft, differentiate, and improve cardiac function. We compared intramyocardial injection of human fetal CSCs (36,000) with two doses of adult MSCs (36,000 and 1,000,000) or control (phosphate buffered saline) in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immune deficiency mice after coronary artery ligation. The myocardial infarction-induced enlargement in left ventricular chamber dimensions was ameliorated by CSCs (p < .05 for diastolic and systolic volumes), as was the decline in ejection fraction (EF; p < .05). Whereas 1 × 10(6) MSCs partially ameliorated ventricular remodeling and improved EF to a similar degree as CSCs, 36,000 MSCs did not influence chamber architecture or function. All cell therapies improved myocardial contractility, but CSCs preferentially reduced scar size and reduced vascular afterload. Engraftment and trilineage differentiation was substantially greater with CSCs than with MSCs. Adult-cultured c-kit(+)CSCs were less effective than fetal, but were still more potent than high-dose MSCs. These data demonstrate enhanced CSC engraftment, differentiation, and improved cardiac remodeling and function in ischemic heart failure. MSCs required a 30-fold greater dose than CSCs to improve cardiac function and anatomy. Together, these findings demonstrate a greater potency of CSCs than bone marrow MSCs in cardiac repair.
Stem cells translational medicine. 02/2012; 1(2):116-24.
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ABSTRACT: The possibility of using stem cells to regenerate damaged myocardium has been actively investigated since the late 1990s. Consistent with the traditional view that the heart is a "postmitotic" organ that possesses minimal capacity for self-repair, much of the preclinical and clinical work has focused exclusively on introducing stem cells into the heart, with the hope of differentiation of these cells into functioning cardiomyocytes. This approach is ongoing and retains promise but to date has yielded inconsistent successes. More recently, it has become widely appreciated that the heart possesses endogenous repair mechanisms that, if adequately stimulated, might regenerate damaged cardiac tissue from in situ cardiac stem cells. Accordingly, much recent work has focused on engaging and enhancing endogenous cardiac repair mechanisms. This article reviews the literature on stem cell-based myocardial regeneration, placing emphasis on the mutually enriching interaction between basic and clinical research.
Trends in cardiovascular medicine 01/2012; 22(1):1-6. · 4.37 Impact Factor
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Rosemeire M Kanashiro-Takeuchi,
Lauro M Takeuchi,
Ferenc G Rick,
Raul Dulce,
Adriana V Treuer,
Victoria Florea,
Claudia O Rodrigues,
Ellena C Paulino,
Konstantinos E Hatzistergos,
Sarah M Selem,
Daniel R Gonzalez,
Norman L Block,
Andrew V Schally, Joshua M Hare
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ABSTRACT: Both cardiac myocytes and cardiac stem cells (CSCs) express the receptor of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), activation of which improves injury responses after myocardial infarction (MI). Here we show that a GHRH-agonist (GHRH-A; JI-38) reverses ventricular remodeling and enhances functional recovery in the setting of chronic MI. This response is mediated entirely by activation of GHRH receptor (GHRHR), as demonstrated by the use of a highly selective GHRH antagonist (MIA-602). One month after MI, animals were randomly assigned to receive: placebo, GHRH-A (JI-38), rat recombinant GH, MIA-602, or a combination of GHRH-A and MIA-602, for a 4-wk period. We assessed cardiac performance and hemodynamics by using echocardiography and micromanometry derived pressure-volume loops. Morphometric measurements were carried out to determine MI size and capillary density, and the expression of GHRHR was assessed by immunofluorescence and quantitative RT-PCR. GHRH-A markedly improved cardiac function as shown by echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters. MI size was substantially reduced, whereas myocyte and nonmyocyte mitosis was markedly increased by GHRH-A. These effects occurred without increases in circulating levels of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor I and were, at least partially, nullified by GHRH antagonism, confirming a receptor-mediated mechanism. GHRH-A stimulated CSCs proliferation ex vivo, in a manner offset by MIA-602. Collectively, our findings reveal the importance of the GHRH signaling pathway within the heart. Therapy with GHRH-A although initiated 1 mo after MI substantially improved cardiac performance and reduced infarct size, suggesting a regenerative process. Therefore, activation of GHRHR provides a unique therapeutic approach to reverse remodeling after MI.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 12/2011; 109(2):559-63. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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European Heart Journal 12/2011; 33(15):1861-3. · 10.48 Impact Factor
