Stem Cell Factor Gene Overexpression Enhances the Fusion Potential of Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Cardiomyocytes
Stem Cell Factor Gene Overexpression Enhances the Fusion Potential of Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Cardiomyocytes
Kanwal Haneef1,2, Rakhshinda Habib1,3, Nadia Naeem1,3 and Asmat Salim1,*
ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disorders are major cause of death globally. Regeneration of cardiac tissue with the use of stem cells has appeared as an effective cell-based therapeutic option. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the potential candidates for cell therapy due to their ease of isolation, proliferation, anti-apoptotic and proangiogenic properties. MSCs have the ability to fuse with somatic cells in vivo and depending upon the microenvironment, the fusion products may perform tissue-specific function. Stem cell factor (SCF) is one of the important cytokine for cardiomyocyte survival following cardiac injury. The main objective of the present study is to determine the fusion potential of SCF transfected MSCs and cardiomyocytes (CMs). Rat bone marrow MSCs were transfected with SCF through retroviral system and co-cultured with rat CMs. Co-culture of SCF transfected MSCs and CMs have shown increased number of fused cells (P < 0.05) as compared to that in case of normal MSCs. This study suggests a potential role of SCF in enhancing the fusion potential of MSCs which may possibly improve the efficiency of MSCs for myocardial diseases.
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December 2021
Vol. 53, Iss. 6, Pages 2001-2521
