Yong Chen1,2, Jia Zhong1,2,
Walter C. Low3, Jianyi Zhang4, Xin Yu1,2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; 2Case
Center for Imaging Research, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH,
United States; 3Department of Neurosurgery, University of
Minnesota; 4Division of Cardiology, University of Minnesota
In
this study, we combined in vivo functional assessment with ex vivo
characterization of myocardial structure to investigate the long-term effects
of stem cell therapy on the structural and functional remodeling in
post-infarct rat hearts. Our results suggest that stem cell treated hearts
manifested preserved myocardial structure, which provided structural basis
for improved cardiac function.