Shock Wave-Pretreated Bone Marrow Cells Further Improve Left Ventricular Function After Myocardial Infarction in Rabbits

Background: We tested whether shock wave (SW) offers additional benefits in improving left ventricular (LV) function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in rabbits receiving SW-treated autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMDMNCs) transplantation. Methods and Results: Saline (750 mu L; group 2), BMDMNCs (1.0 x 10(7); group 3), or preimplant SW-treated BMDMNCs (group 4) were implanted into the infarct area of male rabbits 15 minutes after left coronary artery ligation, whereas eight rabbits without AMI served as controls (group 1; n = 8 per group). The results showed that in infarct area of LV, protein expressions of Cx43 and cytochrome C in mitochondria and endothelial nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression were lower in group 2 than in other groups, and decreased in group 3 as compared with groups 1 and 4 (all p values < 0.01). Conversely, mRNA expressions of endothelin-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-9, mitochondrial oxidative stress, and total fibrotic area were higher in group 2 than in other groups (all p values < 0.05). Furthermore, 6-month LV function by 2-D echo/angiogram showed significant impairment in group 2 than in other groups and in group 3 than in groups 1 and 4 (all p values < 0.005). Conclusions: Application of SW-treated autologous BMDMNCs is superior to BMDMNCs alone for preserving LV function after AMI.