Mechanism of the therapeutic effect of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on limb ischemia in SD rats

Objective: The aim of this work was to explore the therapeutic effect of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in SD rats’ ischemic hind limb. Methods: Ligation of the abdominal aorta beneath the renal artery, the lumbar artery and the iliolumbar artery, was performed to obtain the hindlimb ischemia model in female SD rats. Amplified and purified bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells from male SD rats were injected into the rectus femoris of the right hind limb of the ischemia rats, while the control group received an injection of an equal amount of saline. Two, four and six weeks after the injection, a sample of the right rectus femoris was collected for the immunohistochemical detection of the vascular endothelial growth factor and sex-determining region Y (SRY). Results: Both the capillary number on the right rectus muscle and the vascular endothelial growth factor positive cell in the transplant group were significantly higher compared to the control group at 2, 4 and 6 weeks after transplantation (P < 0.01). The SRY positive cells were detected in the capillary walls and scattered in the muscle tissue of the rectus femoris of the transplanted rats. Conclusion: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation may increase the vascular endothelial growth factor level in ischemic tissues, participate in the new capillary formation in the ischemic limbs, promote rapid capillary growth in the ischemic tissue, and improve the blood supply to the ischemic hind limb.