Figure 3: MagBICE₁ infusion leads to therapeutic cell targeting and regeneration of injured heart tissue.

(a,b) Schematic showing therapeutic efficacy studies of MagBICE₁ in rats with ischemia/injury injury. (c) Ex vivo fluorescent imaging showing MagBICE₁-targeted intravenously infused BMCs (DiI-labelled; red) to the heart (P=0.0344; n=3 animals) and decreased off-target retention in the lungs (P=0.0071; n=3 animals). *P<0.05 when compared with FH. (d) Confocal microscopic images confirming MagBICE₁-enhanced BMC binding to the heart (P<0.0001; n=3 animals and nine microscopic fields). MagBICE₁ conjoined infused BMCs (red) with cardiomyocytes (green) in the infarct area. *P<0.05. (e) Masson’s trichrome images showing scar (blue) and viable (red) tissues in the heart 4 weeks post MI. MagBICE₁+BMC therapy induced healing: scar size (P=0.0087; n=5 animals) and scar mass (P=0.0011; n=5 animals) were decreased, and infarct wall thickness was increased (P=0.0033; n=5 animals). *P<0.05 when compared with control. (f) Echocardiography showing no difference in LVEFs among the groups at baseline (P=0.6177; n=6 animals). Four weeks later, animals treated with MagBICE₁+BMC had greater LVEFs than those received control or FH+BMC therapies (P=0.0037; n=6 animals), and greater treatment effects (change in LVEF over the 4-week time course; P=0.0019; n=6 animals). *P<0.05 when compared with control. (g) Confocal microscopic images showing MagBICE₁+BMC therapy boosted angiogenesis in the post-MI heart (P<0.0001; n=3 animals and 27 microscopic fields). *P<0.05 when compared with control. All data are mean±s.d. Comparisons between any two groups were performed using two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test. Comparisons among more than two groups were performed using one-way ANOVA followed by post-hoc Bonferroni test. DAPI, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole.