The expression of angiogenic factors was measured to elucidate the mechanism of angiogenesis after bone marrow stem cells transplantation. The left anterior descending coronary (LAD) artery was ligated in male Lewis rats to induce an acute myocardial infarction (AMI); of which, some rats received bone marrow mononuclear cells transplantation (BMT). The expression of cytokines and their receptors was assessed by RT-PCR. The expression of c-met was upregulated in the AMI animals and was further increased when the animals received BMT (P < 0.01). The other cytokines and their receptors remained unchanged after BMT compared with AMI samples. Normal bone marrow mononuclear cells have higher expression level of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) than those in normal hearts. In conclusion, BMT could increase the expression of c-met. Not all angiogenic cytokines and their receptors were upregulated after BMT. The higher expression of hepatocyte growth factor in bone marrow may contribute to the upregulation of c-met.