Engraftment Patterns of Human Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expose Electrotonic and Paracrine Proarrhythmic Mechanisms in Myocardial Cell Cultures

Abstract

Adult hMSCs affect arrhythmicity of neonatal rat cardiomyocyte cultures by heterocellular coupling leading to depolarization-induced conduction slowing and by direct release of paracrine factors that negatively affect repolarization rate. The extent of these detrimental effects depends on the number and distribution pattern of hMSCs. These results suggest that caution should be urged against potential adverse effects of myocardial hMSC engraftment.