Abstract
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are accepted as a form of cellular therapy to improve cardiac function following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The present study was performed to investigate the synergistic effect of ultrasound‑targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD)‑mediated Galectin‑7‑small interfering (si)RNA with the homing of BMSCs for AMI. The rat model of AMI was established, followed by identification of BMSCs. Rats with AMI received BMSC transplantation, BMSC transplantation + UTMD + siRNA negative control, or BMSC transplantation + UTMD + Galectin‑7‑siRNA. The cardiac function, hemodynamics indexes, degree of myocardial fiber injury and expression of apoptosis‑related proteins in myocardial tissues of rats were detected. The homing of BMSCs was observed, and the indexes of myocardial microenvironment and the TGF‑β/Smads pathway‑related proteins in myocardial tissues were determined. AMI rats treated with UTMD‑mediated Galectin‑7‑siRNA exhibited improved cardiac function and hemodynamics‑related indices, decreased myocardial fiber injury and apoptotic cells, as well as enhanced homing ability of BMSCs, improved myocardial microenvironment, and suppressed TGF‑β1/Smads pathway activation. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that UTMD‑mediated Galectin‑7‑siRNA treatment could enhance the homing ability of BMSCs, thus alleviating AMI in rats.