And we demonstrated that Nestin<sup>+</sup>BMSC-secreted TIMP-1/2 enhances CXCL12(SDF1α)/CXCR4 axis-driven migration of endogenous Sca-1<sup>+</sup> endothelial cells in ischemic heart post-AMI.
Inflammatory cell trafficking after MI is controlled by C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) and its receptor, C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4).
In this study, we investigated whether combined treatment with ATV and <sup>ATV-</sup>MSCs enhances cardiac repair and regeneration by activating SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling in a rat model of acute myocardial infarction.
Meanwhile, in vitro experiments demonstrated that SDF-1/CXCR4 was crucial in MSC-PLT aggregate formation, which might suggest a novel mechanism that SDF-1/CXCR4 is involved in MSCs homing and myocardial repair after AMI.
We conclude that upregulation of SDF1α after AMI associates with increased expression of endogenous c-Kit+ CSCs in the injury area, and show induced migration of c-Kit+ cells by SDF1.
SDF-1:CXCR4 has been shown to affect stem cell homing, cardiac myocyte survival and ventricular remodeling in animal studies of acute myocardial infarction and chronic heart failure.