Mickey Scheinowitz, PhD, Arkady-Avi Kotlyar, PhD, Shachar Zimand, MD, Ilan Leibovitz, MD, Nira Varda-Bloom, Dan Ohad, Iris Goldberg, PhD, Santiego Engelberg, MD, Nafthali Savion, PhD and Michael Eldar, MD
Background: Previous studies have demonstrated myocardial salvage by basic fibroblast growth factor administration following chronic myocardial ischemia or acute myocardial infarction.
Objectives: To study the effect of bFGF on left ventricular morphometry following coronary occlusion and reperfusion episode in rats.
Methods: bFGF (0.5 mg) or placebo was continuously administered for a period of one week using an implanted osmotic pump. Animals were sacrificed 6 weeks after surgery and myocardial cross-sections were stained with Masson-trichrome and with anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen antibody.
Results: LV area, LV cavity diameter, LV cavity/wall thickness ratio, and injury size were unchanged compared with control animals. Proliferating endothelial cells were significantly more abundant in injured compared with normal myocardium, but with no differences between animals treated or not treated with bFGF.
Conclusions: One week of systemic bFGF administration following coronary occlusion and reperfusion had no additional effect on LV geometry or cellular proliferation in rats.
Andre Keren, MD and Shmuel Banai, MD
Shmuel C. Shapira, MD, MPH
Dan Miron, MD, Raul Raz, MD and Authony Luder, MD
Jacob Lavee, MD and Yoav Paz, MD
Richard Fabian Schumacher, MD and Luigi D. Notarangelo, MD
Eilon Shany, MD, David Greenberg, MD and Eliezer Shahak, MD
Nir Cohen, MD, David Keret, MD, Eli Ezra, MD and Franklin Lokiec, MD
Jacob Ablin, MD, Shaltiel Cabili, MD, Ayala Lagziel, PhD and Hava Peretz, PhD
Shomron Ben Horin, MD, David Luria, MD, Michael Glikson, MD and Avi Livneh, MD
Gabriela Gayer, MD and Rivka Zissin, MD
Simon Strauss, MBChB and Dan Leibovici, MD
by Howard Amital, MD and Yuval Weiss, MD