Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improve Heart Rate Variability and Baroreflex Sensitivity in Rats with Chronic Heart Failure

Stem Cells Dev. 2015 Sep 15;24(18):2181-92. doi: 10.1089/scd.2014.0573. Epub 2015 Jun 24.

Abstract

Heart failure induced by myocardial infarct (MI) attenuates the heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity, which are important risk factors for life-threatening cardiovascular events. Therapies with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promising results after MI. However, the effects of MSCs on hemodynamic (heart rate and arterial pressure) variability and baroreflex sensitivity in chronic heart failure (CHF) following MI have not been evaluated thus far. Male Wistar rats received MSCs or saline solution intravenously 1 week after ligation of the left coronary artery. Control (noninfarcted) rats were also evaluated. MI size was assessed using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was evaluated using radionuclide ventriculography. Four weeks after MSC injection, the animals were anesthetized and instrumented for chronic ECG recording and catheters were implanted in the femoral artery to record arterial pressure. Arterial pressure and HRVs were determined in time and frequency domain (spectral analysis) while HRV was also examined using nonlinear methods: DFA (detrended fluctuation analysis) and sample entropy. The initial MI size was the same among all infarcted rats but was reduced by MSCs. CHF rats exhibited increased myocardial interstitial collagen and sample entropy combined with the attenuation of the following cardiocirculatory parameters: DFA indices, LVEF, baroreflex sensitivity, and HRV. Nevertheless, MSCs hampered all these alterations, except the LVEF reduction. Therefore, 4 weeks after MSC therapy was applied to CHF rats, MI size and myocardial interstitial fibrosis decreased, while baroreflex sensitivity and HRV improved.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / pathology
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / therapy*
  • Arterial Pressure / physiology
  • Cardiac-Gated Single-Photon Emission Computer-Assisted Tomography
  • Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / methods
  • Coronary Vessels / surgery
  • Heart Failure / pathology
  • Heart Failure / therapy*
  • Heart Rate / physiology*
  • Hemodynamics
  • Male
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / methods*
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / cytology
  • Myocardial Infarction / pathology
  • Radionuclide Ventriculography
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Stroke Volume / physiology*
  • Ventricular Function, Left / physiology