Intramyocardial gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor 121 improves myocardial perfusion and function in the ischemic porcine heart

Vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF) is an endothelial cell-specific mitogen that is angiogenic in vitro and in vivo. Several studies report on gene transfer of VEGF(121) to promote angiogenesis in the ischemic myocardium of animals and patients. We hypothesized that intramyocardial administration of naked plasmid DNA encoding VEGF(121) could improve myocardial perfusion and function in a porcine model of myocardial ischemia. Yorkshire swine underwent thoracotomy and placement of an ameroid constrictor on the circumflex coronary artery. Four weeks later, pVEGF(121) plasmid was administered into the ischemic myocardium. Four weeks after gene transfer, SPECT imaging demonstrated significant reduction in the ischemic area in pVEGF(121)-treated animals compared with controls. In the pVEGF(121) group, most of the animals evolved from light ischemia to a normal perfusion. In contrast, control animals exhibited similar or impaired ischemic conditions. Our results indicate that intramyocardial gene transfer of VEGF(121) as naked plasmid DNA results in significant improvement in myocardial perfusion and function.