Constitutive HIF-1α expression blunts the beneficial effects of cardiosphere-derived cell therapy in the heart by altering paracrine factor balance.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) expression promotes angiogenesis and can influence stem cell engraftment. We investigated the effect of stable over-expression of constitutively active HIF-1α on cardiosphere-derived cell (CDC) engraftment and left ventricular function. CDCs were transduced with a lentivirus expressing a constitutively active mutant of human HIF-1α (LVHIF-1α).