Figure 5. Infarct size decrement following ILK-MSC transplantation.

(a– i) Representative delayed contrast-enhanced MR images and Bull’s eye plots of hearts in four-chamber view at end-diastole. Infarct scar tissue appears as bright signal whereas viable myocardium appears dark. In vector-MSCs and ILK-MSCs treated minipigs, scar size decreased over the period of 15 days following MSCs transplantation, while in vehicle controls, no evidence of decrement was documented. (j) Infarct size at baseline (pre-injection) and 15 days post-transplantation in three groups. Importantly, a significant reduction was noted in ILK-MSC treated minipigs compared with vector-MSC ones. Infarct size was calculated from the short-axis delayed-enhancement images. (k–p) Representative macroscopies of entire hearts and short-axis cardiac slices of one vehicle-, one vector-MSC- and one ILK-MSC-treated minipig at 15 days post-implantation. (q–r) Calculated infarction area (q) and thickness ratio of infarcted myocardium (r) corresponding to the macroscopical examinations in (k–p). Data are mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 between comparisons indicated by bracket.