Safety Analysis and Improved Cardiac Function Following Local Autologous Transplantation of CD133+ Enriched Bone Marrow Cells After Myocardial Infarction

The CD133+ bone marrow cell (BMC) population includes primitive multipotent stem cells which induce neoangiogenesis. Studies suggested transplantation of these cells to infarcted myocardium can have a favorable impact on tissue perfusion and contractile performance. We assessed the feasibility, safety and functional outcomes of autologus CD133+ BMC transplantation during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with recent myocardial infarction. In a prospective, nonrandomized, open-label study, 27 patients with recent myocardial infarction underwent CABG and intramyocardial injection of autologous bone marrow-derived CD133+ cells (18 patients, BMC group) or CABG alone (9 patients, control group). At 6 months after CABG, the Wall Motion Score Index (WMSI) was significantly reduced for akinetic/dyskinetic segments treated with CD133+ cells compared with the control group (P<0.006). Likewise, comparison between baseline and follow up results of dobutamine stress echocardiography and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy showed improvement of myocardial viability and local perfusion of the infarcted zone of the BMC group compared with the control group. No complications related to CD133+ cell transplantation were noted, either procedurally or during postoperative at a mean of 14 months follow up. In patients with recent myocardial infarction, transplantation of CD133+ cells to the peri-infarct zone during CABG surgery is feasible and safe, with no evidence of early or late adverse events. Moreover, these cells might restore tissue viability and improve perfusion of the infarcted myocardium, suggesting that they may induce myogenesis as well as angiogenesis.