Mesenchymal Stem Cells Increase Resistance Against Ventricular Arrhythmias Provoked in Rats with Myocardial...

This study evaluated the role of the mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue (MSCs) in provoked ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in animals with myocardial infarction (MI). The experimental groups were: sham, subjected to sham surgery and intramyocardial saline injection; MIV, infarcted rats subjected to intramyocardial saline injection; MI + MSCs, infarcted rats subjected to intramyocardial MSCs injection. Injections were performed two days after infarction and the arrhythmogenic inducibility experiment was performed the next day. Only 35% of the MI + MSCs group developed VAs, while the one in the MIV group was 65%. The proportion of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, sustained tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation was similar between the infarcted groups, but MSCs animals had shorter duration of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. However, MSCs increased connexin 43 content in the remote area, even above the levels found in the sham group. MSCs prevented the increase of IL-1β in the different areas of the myocardium. There was higher carbonylation and content of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE, a marker of lipoperoxidation) in the myocardium of infarcted rats, but MSCs attenuated the increase of 4-HNE in the infarcted area. In conclusion, MSCs have a protective effect against the development of arrhythmias, but do not imply a significant benefit for animals that have developed VAs. It is possible to think that the cardioprotection of MSCs involves anti-inflammatory/oxidative actions and improvement in the formation of communicating junctions.Graphical abstract.