Effects of panax notoginseng saponins on homing of C-kit+ bone mesenchymal stem cells to the infarction heart in rats.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on homing of C-kit+ bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to the infarction heart.

METHODS

The acute myocardial infraction (AMI) model was established in 140 Wistar rats, 105 model rats survived after operation, and the model rats were randomly divided into five groups, 21 rats in each group: Western medicine group mobilized by subcutaneous injection of human granuloctye colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) 50 microg x kg(-1) x d(-1); sham operation group and a model group treated by subcutaneous injection of normal saline 50 microg x kg(-1) x d(-1); Chinese medicine group mobilized by intraperitoneal injection of Xuesaitong (see text) (ingredients of PNS) 150 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1); integrative medicine group mobilized by subcutaneous injection of G-CSF 50 microg x kg(-1) x d(-1) and intraperitoneal injection of Xuesaitong 150 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1). Except for the sham-operated group, each group was divided into three sub-groups by three time points of 1 d, 7 d and 14 d. G-CSF was injected once a day for 7 d. Xuesaitong was injected once a day until the rats were killed. The flow cytometry was used for detection of C-kit+ cells in the peripheral blood in different time points, and immunohistochemical method was used for detection of the changes of C-kit+ cell and Ki-67+ cell numbers in the marginal zone of AMI.

RESULTS

Twenty-four hours after the operation, C-kit+ cells had a slight increase in the model group compared with the sham operation group (P > 0.05). The peripheral blood C-kit+ cells in the integrative group increased significantly compared with the other groups on 7 d and 14 d (all P < 0.05). Meanwhile the expression of C-kit+ cells and Ki-67+ cells in the marginal zone of AMI in the integrative group increased significantly compared with the Chinese medicine group, the western medicine group and the model group on 1 d, 7 d and 14 d (all P < 0.05), and the cells in the integrative group decreased significantly on 14 d compared with that on 7 d (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

PNS can cooperate with G-CSF to mobilize C-kit+ BMSCs from the marrow into the peripheral blood and promote them "homing" to the infarction heart.