Bone Marrow-Derived Multipotent Stromal Cells Promote Myocardial Fibrosis and Reverse Remodeling of the Left Ventricle

Figure 3

Differentiation, viability, and elimination of the transplanted MSCs. (a) Fluorescence microscopy of transverse cryosections of the heart at p/t day 14. None of the transplanted MSCs differentiated into cardiac myocytes, endothelial cells, or smooth muscle cells of blood vessels. Some label-presenting cells outside the blood vessels were positively stained with antibodies specific to α-SMA or Fapα. (b) Cell counts of reactive fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in the scar. (c) Fluorescence images of transverse cryosections of the heart at p/t day 14. Some of the label-presenting cells are positively stained with antibodies to Ki67 or CD68. (d) Counts of Ki67+ and CD68+ cells in the scar. The data are presented as mean ± SEM with asterisks indicating significant differences. Scale bars, 25 μm.

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