Modified VEGF targets the ischemic myocardium and promotes functional recovery after myocardial infarction
    作者: Yun Yang,Chunying Shi,Xianglin Hou,Yannan Zhao,Bing Chen,Bo Tan,Zongwu Deng,Qingguo Li,Jianzhou Liu,Zhifeng Xiao,Qi Miao and Jianwu Dai
    刊物名称: Journal of Controlled Release
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    摘要:
    Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI). However, the non-targeted delivery of VEGF decreases its therapeutic efficacy due to an insufficient local concentration in the ischemic myocardium. In this study, we used a specific peptide to modify VEGF and determined that this modified VEGF (IMT-VEGF) localized to the ischemic myocardium through intravenous injection by interacting with cardiac troponin I (cTnI). When IMT-VEGF was used to mediate cardiac repair in a rat model of ischemia–reperfusion (I–R) injury, we observed a decreased scar size, enhanced angiogenesis and improved cardiac function. Moreover, an alternative treatment using the repeated administration of a low-dose IMT-VEGF also promoted angiogenesis and functional recovery. The therapeutic effects of IMT-VEGF were further confirmed in a pig model of MI as the result of the conserved properties of its interacting protein, cTnI. These results suggest a promising therapeutic strategy for MI based on the targeted delivery of IMT-VEGF.