Therapeutic value of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation incorporated with milrinone on restoring cardiac function

To explore the potential effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSCs) transplantation combined with milrinone on the myocardial cell survival and cardiac function in heart failure. After isolation and culture of rat BMSCs and establishment of rat model of heart failure through intraperitoneal injection of adriamycin, the animals were administered with BMSCs through tail vein injection and/or with milrinone through the jugular vein injection. After that, echocardiography and Doppler images were used to evaluate cardiac function, and ELISA determined the milrinone concentration before and after intervention. The expression of myocardial specific proteins GATA-4, Cx43 and cTnI was determined. Compared with other treatments, administration BMSCs combined with milrinone more significantly improved cardiac function (p < 0.05). The BMSCs treatment had similar effect on the heart as milrinone (p > 0.05). The combined treatment obtained significantly increased expression of BNP levels and the highest expression levels of GATA-4, Cx43 and cTnI, compared to the BMSCs group. Combined treatment with BMSCs and milrinone effectively increase the expressions of GATA-4, Cx43, cTnI, and enhances healing of damaged myocardial cells, reducing lung resistance and plasma volume, and heart afterload. This treatment restores systolic and diastolic functions of the heart.