The developing heart increases its mass predominantly by increasing the number of contained cells through proliferation. We hypothesized that addition of fibroblast growth factor-2, a factor previously shown to stimulate division of the embryonic myocytes, to the left ventricular myocardium in an experimental model of @entity1699 created in the @entity1573 would attenuate phenotypic severity by increasing cellular proliferation. We have established an effective mode of delivery of fibroblast growth factor-2 to the @entity1573 embryonic left ventricular myocardium by using adenovirus vectors, which was more efficient and better tolerated than direct injection of recombinant fibroblast growth factor-2 protein. Injection of control adenovirus expressing green fluorescent protein did not result in significant alterations in myocytic proliferation or cell death compared with intact, uninjected, controls. Co-injection of adenoviruses expressing green fluorescent protein and fibroblast growth factor-2 was used for verification of positive injection, and induction of proliferation, respectively. Treatment of both normal and hypoplastic left ventricles with fibroblast growth factor-2 expressing adenovirus resulted in to 2 to 3-fold overexpression of fibroblast growth factor-2, as verified by immunostaining. An increase by 45% in myocytic proliferation was observed following injection of normal hearts, and an increase of 39% was observed in hypoplastic hearts. There was a significant increase in anti- @entity35374 immunostaining in the hypoplastic, but not the normal hearts. We have shown, therefore, that expression of exogenous fibroblast growth factor-2 in the late embryonic heart can exert direct effects on cardiac myocytes, inducing both their proliferation and differentiation. These data suggest potential for a novel therapeutic option in selected cases of @entity299 , such as @entity1699 .

Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 regulates proliferation of cardiac myocytes in normal and hypoplastic left ventricles in the developing XXXX .

@entity35374 :: ('395534(Tax:9031)', 'Gene') :: ['myosin'] @entity1699 :: ('MESH:D018636', 'Disease') :: ['hypoplastic left heart syndrome', 'left heart hypoplasia'] @entity1573 :: ('9031', 'Species') :: ['chicken', 'chick'] @entity299 :: ('MESH:D006331', 'Disease') :: ['congenital cardiac disease']
@entity1573 :: (9031,Species) :: ['chick']
