Timing of transplantation of autologous bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells for treating myocardial infarction

It is still unclear whether the timing of intracoronary stem cell therapy affects the therapeutic response in patients with myocardial infarction. The natural course of healing the infarction and the presence of putative homing signals within the damaged myocardium appear to favor cell engraftment during the transendothelial passage in the early days after reperfusion. However, the adverse inflammatory environment, with its high oxidative stress, might be deleterious if cells are administered too early after reperfusion. Here we highlight several aspects of the timing of intracoronary stem cell therapy. Our results showed that transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells at 2–4 weeks after myocardial infarction is more favorable for reduction of the scar area, inhibition of left ventricular remodeling, and recovery of heart function. Coronary injection of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells at 2–4 weeks after acute myocardial infarction is safe and does not increase the incidence of complications.