Increases in plasma Tβ4 after intracardiac cell therapy in chronic ischemic heart failure is associated with symptomatic improvement.

Aim: Tβ4 is an integral factor in repair of myocardium in animal models. To investigate whether Tβ4 is important in human cardiac disease and has a role in mediating the beneficial cardiac effects of bone-marrow-derived stem cell (BMSC) therapy, we measured serial plasma Tβ4 levels in patients enrolled on the REGENERATE-IHD cell therapy trial.

Patients & Methods: Plasma Tβ4 concentrations were measured in 13 patients who received BMSCs and 14 controls.

Results: There was a significant increase in plasma Tβ4 in the BMSC group 24 h after intracardiac injection. Increases in Tβ4 levels were associated with improvement in New York Heart Association symptom class.

Conclusion: This exploratory study highlights the need for further study of Tβ4 in human cardiovascular disease.