Objectives: This study was performed to examine the effect of intracoronary exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on angiogenesis in infarcted myocardial regions.
Background: Exogenous bFGF is a potent promoter of angiogenesis. Little information is available on its effect on myocardial angiogenesis.
Methods: Myocardial infarction was induced in 10 pigs by intracoronary injection of microscopic beads. Four pigs served as a control group; in six pigs slow-release bFGF was delivered by the beads. Cardiac performance was evaluated by repeated echocardiographic measurement and angiogenesis was evaluated by immunohistochemical studies 14 days later.
Results: As compared with control pigs, pigs treated with bFGF had higher microvessel counts (mean +/- SEM) in both viable tissue (141 +/- 27 per field vs. 39 +/- 4, p = 0.01) and nonviable tissue (329 +/- 26 per field vs. 95 +/- 7, p < 0.001) within the infarct area. No significant differences in total regional left ventricular wall motion were noted between the two groups throughout the 14-day study period.
Conclusions: In the swine, direct intracoronary application of bFGF to infarcted myocardium enhances myocardial neovascularization within 2 weeks.