Figure 5

FGF1 and NRG1 released from MPs in the ischemic miocardium lead to angiogenic effects.
(A) Representative images showing the infarcted/peri-infarcted area three months after treatment stained with antibodies against blood vessels (α-SMA+) and nuclei (DAPI) in sections of each group of animals. Quantification of α-SMA total area (B) and vessel density (C) in infarcted and peri-infarcted zones 3 months after growth factor loaded MP or control-MP injection. Data are means ± SEM. (One–way ANOVA with a post-hoc Tukey’s multiple comparison test; *p < 0.05 **p < 0.01 ***p < 0.001). (D) Correlation between functional echocardiographic parameters and α-SMA vessel density (Pearson Correlation analysis R = 0.734; p = 0.001).