Abstract
Background: Previous studies reported that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) could promote angiogenesis and cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI) in pigs. However, the results of these studies were controversial. To clarify the therapeutic efficacy of local HGF administration after MI, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from the pig models, which could provide evidence for the feasibility of clinical HGF application.Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched for randomized studies that correspond to our subject. The search terms included (hepatocyte growth factor OR HGF) AND (heart failure OR HF OR myocardial infarction OR MI OR AMI OR coronary heart disease OR CHD). The primary endpoint indicators were identified as the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and capillaries density. Other parameters reflecting cardiac function and ventricular remodeling were analyzed as secondary indicators, including ventricular volume, infarct size, apoptotic index and others.Results: In total, 9 studies were finally included in the meta-analysis. On comparing the cardiac function indexes, the HGF group was found to be better than the control group in regard to LVEF, stroke volume, left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV). However, no statistically significant differences were found in heart rate. Furthermore, HGF treatment promotes angiogenesis in ischemic areas, which is manifested by increased capillary density. In addition, the HGF group was found to be better than the control group when it comes to infarct size, arteriole densities, and other indicators of cardiac remodeling.Conclusions: HGF treatment can effectively promote cardiac function and cardiac repair including angiogenesis, and this strategy is a promising cardio-protective approach that merits further clinical studies.
Treatment of experimental heart failure with hepatocyte growth factor
