Objectives: Cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) are mainly obtained through myocardial biopsy, and could improve cardiac function and attenuate remodeling in myocardial infarction. In this study, we investigated whether functional CDCs could be obtained through cadaver autopsy method, and CDCs transplantation could be benefit to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Methods: Viability, differentiation potential, and paracrine function of both human and mouse CDCs were assessed. Using mouse DCM model, we also assessed the improved effect of heart function by transplanting CDCs.

Results: The viable CDCs could be isolated from human cadaveric specimens up to 120 hours, and mice up to 72 hours post mortem. However, with the extension of the dead days, the number of CDCs harvested from the autopsy gradually decreased. CDCs could differentiate into cardiomyocyte, endothelial cell, and smooth muscle cell. The growth factors (HGF, IGF-1 and VEGF) secreted by CDCs at different time points. Cardiac function and myocardial fibrosis were remarkably improved in CDC-treated group, accessing by echocardiography and Masson's trichrome staining. Moreover, transplantation of CDCs isolated from 0 and 24 hours post mortem had the best effect.

Conclusions: The functional CDCs could be isolated through cadaver. CDCs from cadaver autopsy are highly proliferative and can differentiate into various cells, may be used as a source or alternative sources of allograft transplantation, inhibit myocardial fibrosis, attenuate left ventricular remodeling and improve heart function in doxorubicin-induced non-ischemic DCM, which may solve the problem of insufficient cardiac stem cells

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