IL18 and myocardial infarction: Gene expression levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in heart tissues from the infarct/border area 24 h post-MI were also analyzed, which showed significantly reduced expression of pro-inflammatory factors such as IL18 and IL6, and increased expression of an anti-inflammatory factor (IL10) in CBSCs and CBSC-EV treated mice (Fig. 2B).