Gustavo Yannarelli

High-dose erythropoietin has no long-term protective effects in sheep with reperfused myocardial infarction.

High-dose erythropoietin has been claimed to be cardioprotective in experimental acute myocardial infarction. In large mammals, however, results are controversial and long-term follow-up data are lacking. We thus assessed the long-term effects of high-dose erythropoietin on left ventricular infarct size and function in an ovine model of reperfused myocardial infarction. After 90 minutes of coronary occlusion followed by reperfusion, sheep received recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) 3000 units/kg on 3 consecutive days (rhEPO group, n=7) or vehicle (placebo group, n=6). Ten weeks later, ventricular function was assessed by echocardiography and catheterization. Infarct size, evaluated as percent fibrotic myocardium (morphometry) and by hydroxyproline quantification, was similar in both groups (morphometry: rhEPO: 22.1±5.5%, placebo: 18.1±3.3%, P not significant; hydroxyproline: rhEPO: 6.6±1.3 μg/mg wet weight, placebo: 7.1±0.9 μg/mg, P not significant). Ventricular function was diminished in the rhEPO group, as indicated by lower septal wall thickening at the infarct border zone (rhEPO: −1.9±16.4%, placebo: 20.5±17%, P<0.04), higher end systolic volume (rhEPO: 47±14.3 mL, placebo: 32.6±7.3 mL, P<0.05), and higher end diastolic pressure (rhEPO: 17±6.5 mm Hg, placebo: 10.1±2.8 mm Hg, P<0.03). In the rhEPO group, left ventricular endocardial area was larger, suggesting dilatation. High-dose erythropoietin has no cardioprotective effects in sheep with reperfused myocardial infarction.

Human umbilical cord perivascular cells exhibit enhanced cardiomyocyte reprogramming and cardiac function after experimental acute myocardial infarction.

We were interested in evaluating the ability of the mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) population, human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs), to undergo cardiomyocyte reprogramming in an established coculture system with rat embryonic cardiomyocytes. Results were compared with human bone marrow-derived (BM) MSCs. The transcription factors GATA4 and Mef 2c were expressed in HUCPVCs but not BM-MSCs at baseline and, at 7 days, increased 7.6- and 3.5-fold, respectively, compared with BM-MSCs. Although cardiac-specific gene expression increased in both cell types in coculture, upregulation was more significant in HUCPVCs, consistent with Mef 2c-GATA4 synergism. Using a lentivector with eGFP transcribed from the α-myosin heavy chain (α-MHC) promoter, we found that cardiac gene expression was greater in HUCPVCs than BM-MSCs after 14 days coculture (52 ± 17% vs. 29 ± 6%, respectively). A higher frequency of HUCPVCs expressed α-MHC protein compared with BM-MSCs (11.6 ± 0.9% vs. 5.3 ± 0.3%); however, both cell types retained MSC-associated determinants. We also assessed the ability of the MSC types to mediate cardiac regeneration in a NOD/SCID γ mouse model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Fourteen days after AMI, cardiac function was significantly better in cell-treated mice compared with control animals and HUCPVCs exhibited greater improvement. Although human cells persisted in the infarct area, the frequency of α-MHC expression was low. Our results indicate that HUCPVCs exhibit a greater degree of cardiomyocyte reprogramming but that differentiation for both cell types is partial. We conclude that HUCPVCs may be preferable to BM-MSCs in the cell therapy of AMI.

Brief Report: The Potential Role of Epigenetics on Multipotent Cell Differentiation Capacity of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells†‡§

Human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs) are a readily available source of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) for cell therapy. We were interested in understanding how differences from human bone marrow (BM)‐derived MSCs might yield insights into MSC biology. We found that HUCPVCs exhibited increased telomerase activity and longer telomeres compared with BM‐MSCs. We also observed enhanced expression of the pluripotency factors OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG in HUCPVCs. The methylation of OCT4 and NANOG promoters was similar in both cell types, indicating that differences in the expression of pluripotency factors between the MSCs were not associated with epigenetic changes. MSC methylation at these loci is greater than reported for embryonic stem cells but less than in dermal fibroblasts, suggesting that multipotentiality of MSCs is epigenetically restricted. These results are consistent with the notion that the MSC population (whether BM‐ or HUCPV‐derived) exhibits higher proliferative capacity and contains more progenitor cells than do dermal fibroblasts. STEM Cells2013;31:215–220

Heme Oxygenase Contributes to Alleviate Salinity Damage in Glycine max L. Leaves.

Plants are frequently subjected to different kinds of stress, such as salinity and, like other organisms, they have evolved strategies for preventing and repairing cellular damage caused by salt stress. Glycine max L. plants were subjected to different NaCl concentrations (0–200 mM) for 10 days. Treatments with 100 and 200 mM NaCl induced ion leakage and lipid peroxidation augmentation, loss in chlorophyll content, and accumulation of O2 •− and H2O2. However, 50 mM NaCl did not modify these parameters, which remains similar to control values. Catalase, superoxide dismutase, and heme oxygenase (HO-1) activities and gene expressions were increased under 100 mM NaCl, while no differences were observed with respect to controls under 50 mM salt. Treatment with 200 mM NaCl caused a diminution in the enzyme activities and gene expressions. Results here reported let us conclude that HO also plays a leading role in the defense mechanisms against salinity.

Human mesenchymal stromal cells improve scar thickness without enhancing cardiac function in a chronic ischaemic heart failure model

Few data address the role of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in the management of chronic ischaemic heart failure. We assessed their effect in immune-deficient animals. MSCs were cultured from bone marrow of human volunteers. Non-obese diabetes severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) gamma null mice were randomly assigned to intramyocardial injection of human MSCs or phosphate-buffered saline 4 weeks after induction of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Echocardiography was performed 4 weeks after MI and 1 and 4 weeks after injection. Donor cell chimerism was assessed by DNA for human Alu sequences 2 and 4 weeks after injection. Histological assessment and quantification of neovascularization were determined 4 weeks after treatment. Donor MSCs at frequencies of 0.006 and 0.001% were present 2 and 4 weeks after cell injection, respectively. The infarcted ventricular wall was significantly thicker in the cohort receiving MSCs compared with control mice. There was no difference in fractional shortening, left ventricular dimensions or scar area between the groups. Small vessel density was also similar between the groups. Human MSCs increased the thickness of the infarcted ventricular wall without improving cardiac function in this chronic ischaemic heart failure model. Further studies are required to assess the benefit of MSCs in this setting.

OCT4 expression mediates partial cardiomyocyte reprogramming of mesenchymal stromal cells

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are in numerous cell therapy clinical trials, including for injured myocardium. Acquisition of cardiomyocyte characteristics by MSCs may improve cardiac regeneration but the mechanisms regulating this process are unclear. Here, we investigated whether the pluripotency transcription factor OCT4 is involved in the activation of cardiac lineage genetic programs in MSCs. We employed our established co-culture model of MSCs with rat embryonic cardiomyocytes showing co-expression of cardiac markers on MSCs independent of cell fusion. Bone marrow-derived MSCs were isolated from transgenic mice expressing GFP under the control of the cardiac-specific α-myosin heavy chain promoter. After 5 days of co-culture, MSCs expressed cardiac specific genes, including Nkx2.5, atrial natriuretic factor and α-cardiac actin. The frequency of GFP+ cells was 7.6±1.9%, however, these cells retained the stromal cell phenotype, indicating, as expected, only partial differentiation. Global OCT4 expression increased 2.6±0.7-fold in co-cultured MSCs and of interest, 87±5% vs 79±4% of MSCs expressed OCT4 by flow cytometry in controls and after co-culture, respectively. Consistent with the latter observation, the GFP+ cells did not express nuclear OCT4 and showed a significant increase in OCT4 promoter methylation compared with undifferentiated MSCs (92% vs 45%), inferring that OCT4 is regulated by an epigenetic mechanism. We further showed that siRNA silencing of OCT4 in MSCs resulted in a reduced frequency of GFP+ cells in co-culture to less than 1%. Our data infer that OCT4 expression may have a direct effect on partial cardiomyocyte reprogramming of MSCs and suggest a new mechanism(s) associated with MSC multipotency and a requirement for crosstalk with the cardiac microenvironment.