The delivery of angiogenic factors to the heart by microsphere therapy

Abstract
Microspheres offer the possibility of local noninvasive delivery of drugs over an extended period of time. We adsorbed fibroblast growth factor (FGF) to microspheres of precapillary size that were injected via a coronary catheter. We showed that FGF was released from these microspheres and taken up by endothelial cells, which proliferated following translocation of FGF to the nucleus. This method for application of growth factors allows the precise delivery of angiogenic substances to any selected part of the heart or other organs without causing inflammation or ischemia.