Therapeutic benefits of intravenous cardiosphere-derived cell therapy in rats with pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive condition characterized by occlusive pulmonary arteriopathy, in which survival remains poor despite pharmacologic advances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), cardiac progenitor cells with potent anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, to attenuate hemodynamic and morphometric remodeling of the right ventricle (RV) and pulmonary arterioles in rats with established monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH. Animals were divided into 3 groups: 1) Control (CTL), 2) PAH in which CDCs were centrally infused (CDC) and 3) PAH in which saline was given (Sham). Significant increments in RV systolic pressure (RVSP) and RV hypertrophy were noted in Sham animals compared to CTL. In CDC rats at day 35, RSVP fell (- 38%; p