Can erythropoietin improve skeletal myoblast engraftment in infarcted myocardium?
The benefits of skeletal myoblast transplantation are limited by the high rate of early cell death which is partly of ischemic origin. We therefore assessed whether graft survival could be improved by the additional use of the angiogenic cytokine erythropoietin (EPO). Thirty-five Lewis rats underwent coronary artery ligation and, 2 weeks later, were randomised to receive in-scar injections of control medium, skeletal myoblasts (5 x 106) or skeletal myoblasts with EPO started the day before transplantation and continued for 2 weeks (500 U/kg three times a week). A fourth group was treated by EPO alone without injections. Function was assessed by 2D echocardiography before transplantation and 1 month therafter. Compared with controls and hearts treated by EPO-alone, those transplanted with myoblasts yielded a significantly better recovery of LV ejection fraction, irrespective of whether they had received EPO or not. Neither the area of myoblast engraftment, nor angiogenesis differed betw
