Accordingly, here we measured MSC secretion of SDF-1α and TNFα in vitro and plasma levels of TNFα in DCM patients that received MSC therapy to test the hypothesis that increased levels of SDF-1α impair the MSC-mediated improvement of endothelial function and reduction of plasma TNFα 3-months post-injection. Here, CXCL12 is linked to familial dilated cardiomyopathy.