Intracoronary administration of AdvFGF-5 (Fibroblast Growth Factor-5) ameliorates left ventricular dysfunction and prevents myocyte loss in swine with developing collaterals and ischemic cardiomyopathy

Fibroblast growth factor (AdvFGF-5) improves regional function by stimulating myocyte hypertrophy without increasing myocardial perfusion in swine with hibernating myocardium. We performed the present study to determine whether AdvFGF-5 could prevent the progression of LV dysfunction in swine with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Swine were chronically instrumented with LAD and LCX stenoses to produce viable dysfunctional myocardium and studied 1 month after instrumentation in the closed-chest sedated state. Flow and regional function before and 30 days after intracoronary AdvFGF-5 (2x10(12) vp, n=9) were compared with animals receiving intracoronary AdvEGFP (2x10(12) vp, n=6). Histological analysis was performed to quantify myocyte size, myocyte nuclear density, apoptosis (TUNEL), and the frequency of myocytes in the proliferative phase of the cell cycle (Ki-67 staining). LAD wall-thickening (27+/-3 to 46+/-6%, P