BACKGROUNDMyocardial infarction results in tissue necrosis, leading to cell loss and ultimately to cardiac failure. Implantation of skeletal muscle satellite cells into the scar area may compensate for the cell loss and provides a new strategy for infarct therapy. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a promising reagent for inducing myocardial angiogenesis. Skeletal myoblast transplantation has been shown to improve cardiac function in chronic heart failure models by regenerating muscle. We hypothesized that VEGF expression and vascular regeneration increased in infarcted myocardium by skeletal muscle satellite cells, which can promote vascular producing and improve survival environment in infarcted myocardium.

METHODSThe skeletal muscle satellite cells were implanted into the infarcted myocardium in a model through ligated left anterior artery in Louis Inbrad Strain rat. Specimens were got for identifying the expression of VEGF and the density of vascular by immunochemical method at two weeks after implantation.

RESULTSThe proliferation and differentiation of the skeletal muscle satellite cell was very well. The expression of VEGF was higher in the implanted group (146.83 +/- 2.49) than that in the control group (134.26 +/- 6.84) (P < 0.05). The vascular density in the implanted group (13.00 +/- 1.51) was also higher than that in the control (10.68 +/- 1.79) (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe implanted satellite cell could excrete growth factor that would induce angiogenesis and improve cell survival environment in infarcted myocardium.