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Figure 4 Transplantation of GF–Pre-Treated MSCs Showed a Greater Myocardial Salvage in Rat Infarcted Heart Than That of Untreated MSCs

(A) Representative images of infarcted rat heart. Heart obtained 8 weeks after myocardial infarction (MI), and transplantation of GF-treated MSC showed smaller infarct than that with transplantation of untreated MSCs (Masson’s trichrome staining: blue indicates infarcted scar tissue). (B) The area of fibrosis was significantly smaller in the infarcted heart transplanted with GF-treated MSCs compared with that with untreated MSCs (n = 7 in each group). (C) Representative figures of echocardiographic finding. The anterior wall motion was preserved better in the GF-treated MSC group. (D and E) Although there was no significant difference at baseline, percent fractional shortening (%FS) was higher in the group transplanted with GF-treated MSC than with untreated MSC or with media at 8 weeks after MI. Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) was significantly smaller in groups with MSC transplantation than with media at 4 weeks, but there was no significant difference at 8 weeks. The MI with media injection (n = 8), MI with transplantation of untreated MSC (n = 10), and MI with GF-treated MSC (n = 9). *p < 0.05 versus media injection group; #p < 0.05 versus untreated MSC group. Abbreviations as in Figure 1.