Bone marrow-derived stem cells have been shown to differentiate into endothelial, vascular, smooth muscle and cardiac muscle cells. In the porcine model of hibernating myocardium, there is an increase in myocardial CD 133+ cells. The number of these cells increases in response to treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors or statins. Professor Iyer has investigated the bone marrow, peripheral blood and myocardial levels of CD133+, VEGFR2+ and CD117+ hematopoietic stem cells in response to low dose or high dose Pravastatin in normal swine. There is a concordant dose-dependent increase in the number of CD113+/VEGFR2+ cells in the bone marrow, peripheral blood and myocardium of normal swine.
Molnar M., Suzuki, G., Iyer, V.S., Canty, J.M. Jr., and Lee, T.C. (2008) Assessment of a nuclear affinity labeling method for tracking implanted mesenchymal stem cells. Cell Implantation. 2008 (In Press).
Suzuki, G., Iyer, V., Lee, T.C., and Canty, J.M., Jr. (2007) Intracoronary injection of autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) increases the myocardial localization of CD133+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in swine with hibernating myocardium. Circulation (Suppl II): 11-133, 2007 (Abstract).