Transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells preconditioned with hydrogen sulfide in the treatment of rat myocardial infarction

Background: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation can promote cardiac repair after myocardial infarction, but it has been limited by the low cell survival rate. Objective: To study the effect of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) on the BMSCs transplantation for treatment of myocardial infarction. Methods: BMSCs were separated and cultivated form Sprague-Dawley rats weighing (100±20) g. The 4th generation cells were used for later experiment, and marked by DAPI at 2 hours before use. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing (200±20) g had been divided into five groups: Sham group (n=10) and four transplantation groups: BMSCs (n=10), H 2 S-BMSCs (n=10), H 2 S (n=10), normal saline (n=10). The myocardial infarction model of four groups was established except of sham group (only thread without ligation). The cardiac function was measured by echocardiogram at 4 weeks after cell transplantation. The collagen in the infarction area was tested by Masson staining. Results And Conclusion: Severe myocardial fibrosis was found in the normal saline group, with no myocardial regeneration in the infarct area. H 2 S-BMSCs group had less collagen and more cardiac muscle tissue than BMSCs or H 2 S groups. Left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular fractional shortening of the H 2 S-BMSCs group were significantly higher than those of the BMSCs or H 2 S groups (P 2 S-preconditioned BMSCs transplantation, which is superior to BMSCs or H 2 S alone.