Date of Award
2007
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Program
Anatomy and Cell Biology
Supervisor
Dr. Peter Merrifield
Second Advisor
Dr. Gerald Wisenberg
Third Advisor
Dr. Frank Prato
Abstract
Heart failure from myocardial infarct (MI) is the leading cause of death in North America. While stem cell therapy for MI has been examined in many animal models and in clinical triais, the ability of stem cells to regenerate damaged myocardium is controversial. I have examined the ability of bone marrow and skeletal muscle derived stem cells to differentiate into cardiac and skeletal muscle following injection into infarcted dog hearts. Immunofluorescent co-localization of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) and the fluorescent cell marker PHK26 demonstrated that, while injected cells could be detected at injection sites, they did not express cardiac or skeletal muscle specific MyHC at 12 weeks post-injection. Histochemical localization of endothelial cell associated alkaline phosphatase activity demonstrated no statistical difference in angiogenesis. These results demonstrate that, under the conditions used in this study, bone marrow and skeletal muscle derived stem cells do not differentiate into cardiac or skeletal muscle.
Recommended Citation
Culshaw, Caroline N., "Cellular basis for stem cell mediated regeneration of damaged myocardium in a canine model for myocardial infarct" (2007). Digitized Theses. 4720.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/4720