Figure 3.

Transplantation of Nes⁺cMSCs, but Not Nes⁺bmMSCs, Significantly Suppresses Inflammation and Reduces the Total Number of CD68⁺ Macrophages within the Infarcted Area after AMI

(A) Histopathologic analysis (H&E staining) of samples obtained from the saline, Nes⁺bmMSC, and Nes⁺cMSC groups at 7 days post-AMI; n = 4 per group. Scale bar, 100 μm. (B) Representative flow dot plots of MI tissue cell suspensions obtained from each group at 1, 3, and 7 days after MI. (C) Flow cytometry-based quantification of the indicated cells in the hearts of each group at 1, 3, and 7 days after MI; n = 5 per group from at least two independent experiments. (D) Gene Ontology of genes that responded to wounding (normalized with respect to the level of GAPDH); the top hits included many genes related to wound healing, among which we observed enrichment for genes involved in macrophage infiltration. (E) The mRNA levels of CD68 (a marker of total macrophages) in the infarcted areas at 3, 7, and 14 days post-AMI were analyzed; n = 4. (F and G) CD68⁺ macrophages in the infarcted regions at 3, 7, and 14 days post-AMI were determined under fluorescence microscopy (F) and calculated from eight random fields of view for each experiment using a double-blind method (G). Green indicates CD68⁺ macrophages, and blue indicates nuclei. Scale bar, 20 μm. Data are shown as mean ± SEM; n = 4. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. NS, not significant.