StemBell therapy stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques after myocardial infarction.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Background aims After a myocardial infarction (MI) atherosclerosis is accelerated leading to destabilization of the atherosclerotic plaque. mesenchymal stromal cells are a promising therapeutic option for atherosclerosis. Previously, we demonstrated a novel stem cell delivery technique, with adipose stem cells coupled to microbubbles (i.e., StemBells) as therapy after MI. In this study, we aim to investigate the effect of StemBell therapy on atherosclerotic plaques in an atherosclerotic mouse model after MI. Methods MI was induced in atherosclerotic Apolipoprotein E-deficient mice that were fed a high-fat Western diet. Six days post-MI, the mice received either 5 × 10 5 /100 µL StemBells or vehicle intravenously. The effects of StemBell treatment on the size and stability of aortic root atherosclerotic plaques and the infarcted heart were determined 28 days post-MI via (immuno)histological analyses. Moreover, monocyte subtypes and lipids in the blood were studied. Results StemBell treatment resulted in significantly increased cap thickness, decreased intra-plaque macrophage density and increased percentage of intra-plaque anti-inflammatory macrophages and chemokines, without affecting plaque size and serum cholesterol/triglycerides. Furthermore, StemBell treatment significantly increased the percentage of anti-inflammatory macrophages within the infarcted myocardium but did not

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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