Ultrasound-guided Intracardiac Injection of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Increase Homing to the Intestine for Use in Murine Models of Experimental Inflammatory Bowel DiseasesManeesh Dave 1, Paola Menghini 1, Keiki Sugi 2,3, Rodrigo A. Somoza 5, Zhenghong Lee 4, Mukesh Jain 2,3, Arnold Caplan 5, Fabio Cominelli 1
1Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, University Hospitals, Digestive Health Research Institute, Case Western Reserve University, 2Case Cardiovascular Research Institute, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 3Department of Medicine, Harrington Discovery Institute, Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, 4Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, 5Department of Biology - Skeletal Research Center, Case Western Reserve University
Murine studies in models of colonic inflammation have demonstrated that a small percentage (1 - 5%) of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) injected intravenously or intraperitoneally home to the inflamed colon1,2. This study shows that ultrasound-guided intracardiac injections of MSCs result in increased localization to the intestine.