Extracorporeal cardiac shock wave stimulation enhances the therapeutic efficacy of intravenously delivered endothelial colony-forming cells via PI3K/AKT signaling in a rat myocardial infarction model

In conclusion, this study demonstrates that preconditioning ECFCs with ECSW significantly enhances their therapeutic efficacy for myocardial infarction, improving both cardiac function and structural repair. These benefits are mediated primarily through activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which augments cell homing, paracrine activity, and survival, thereby providing a novel and promising strategy for cardiac regeneration.