EFFECTS OF AMNIOTIC MEMBRANE APPLICATION ON POST-INFARCT CARDIAC REMODELING

Abstract

This paper looks at the effects of amniotic membrane treatments on ventricular remodeling in mice following a myocardial infarction caused by permanent ligation of a coronary artery. Amniotic membranes have shown pluripotency as well as immunomodulatory potential. In this study amniotic membrane patch, matrix, and matrix+cells treatments were applied to the surface of or injected into mouse cardiac tissue following coronary artery ligation. The effects of these treatments on collagen deposition, IL-6 infiltration, and neutrophil and monocyte infiltration were studied using H and E, PSR, and IL-6 staining techniques. The results indicated that compared to the control, each of the treatments resulted in more targeted IL-6 infiltration. Patch treatment caused increased collagen deposition compared to the control group, while the matrix and matrix+cells treatments resulted in decreased collagen deposition. Compared to the control group, both the matrix and matrix+cells treatments experienced similar levels of neutrophil and monocyte infiltration. The patch treatment group however showed an increase in infiltration compared to the control group. Due to the small sample size of the treatment groups, our group concluded that more research needs to be done to determine whether or not the results found in this study are significant.