Inhibition of Gap Junction Formation Prior to Implantation of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Cells Improves Function in the Ischemic Myocardium

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) are reported to induce beneficial effects in the heart following ischemia, but a loss of these cells within hours of implantation could significantly diminish their long-term effect. We hypothesized that early coupling between BM-MSC and ischemic cardiomyocytes through gap junctions (GJ) may play an important role in stem cell survival and retention in the acute phase of myocardial ischemia. To determine the effect of GJ inhibition on murine BM-MSC in vivo, we induced ischemia in mice using 90 min left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion followed by BM-MSC implantation and reperfusion. The inhibition of GJ coupling prior to BM-MSC implantation led to early improvement in cardiac function compared to mice in which GJ coupling was not inhibited. Our results with in vitro studies also demonstrated increased survival in BM-MSCs subjected to hypoxia after inhibition of GJ. While functional GJ are critical for the long-term integration of stem cells within the myocardium, early GJ communication may represent a novel paradigm whereby ischemic cardiomyocytes induce a “bystander effect” when coupled to newly transplanted BM-MSC and thus impair cell retention and survival.