Loss of Myeloid-Derived Growth Factor Leads to Increased Fibrosis in Mice After Myocardial Infarction

To investigate the effect of the loss of myeloid-derived growth factor (Mydgf) on the transformation of cardiac fibroblasts into myofibroblasts after myocardial infarction (MI). Two adult mouse groups, including a wild-type (WT) group and another group with knockout ( -KO), were examined in the study. The mice in these two groups were tested for their cardiac function by measuring left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) ( =10). Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) ( =3) was performed to determine the mRNA expression levels of myofibroblast markers, including α-smooth muscle actin ( ), periostin ( ), type Ⅷ collagen ( ), and connective tissue growth factor ( ). Western blot ( =3) was performed to verify the protein expression levels of α-SMA. MI modeling was performed on the WT and the -KO mice. Postoperative LVEF and LVFS ( =10) were then measured. The hearts were harvested and Masson staining was performed to determine the infarcted area ( =10). The heart s