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Transplanted embryonic stem cells inhibit cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy in type 1 diabetes

Cell therapy is a novel potential approach to treat many diseases including diabetes. Embryonic stem cells have been examined in various diabetic and non-diabetic heart studies. However, the role of pancreas transcription factor 1 alpha (ptfla) over expressing embryonic stem (ES) cells has not been defined. We hypothesize that transplanted over expressing ptfla-ES cells in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic mice will attenuate cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and improve cardiac function. In this investigation we divided C57/bl6 mice into three groups: Control, STZ, and STZ + ptflaES cells. Diabetes was induced with STZ (lO0mg/kg, body weight), with two separate injections on day 1 (D1) and D2. Following STZ injections, mice were transplanted with 1.2 million ptfla-ES cells in three days. Control group received normal saline. After injections, animals were examined for glucose levels, cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and heart function. Our data shows that glucose levels were significantly increased following STZ injections, suggesting diabetes, and this increase was reversed with transplanted ptfl a-ES cell. Our H&E qualitative data suggest that there was increase in cardiac hypertrophy in STZ-induced diabetic animals compared with control. Moreover, Massan's trichrome staining shows increased amount of cardiac fibrosis in STZ-induced diabetic animals compared with control. This data suggests that animals have developed diabetic cardiomyopathy. Interestingly, the increased cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis was attenuated in the animals transplanted with ptfl a-ES cells. Furthermore, cardiac function examined by echocardiography was reduced in the STZ treated animals which was reversed following ptfla-ES cell treatment. In conclusion, our data suggests that

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:honorstheses1990-2015-1885
Date01 January 2009
CreatorsAbrahan, Dennrik
PublisherSTARS
Source SetsUniversity of Central Florida
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
SourceHIM 1990-2015

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