[Stem cell therapy in chronic heart failure].
BACKGROUND
An increasing number of patients survives acute myocardial infarction and reaches the stage of chronic heart failure-but today therapeutic possibilities in end stage of heart failure are limited because of a lack of donor organs.


RESULTS
Stem cell therapy is a promising new therapeutic strategy. In first clinical studies feasibility and efficacy of catheter-based application or cytokine-induced mobilisation of autologous stem cells have been examined in acute myocardial infarction and in chronic heart failure. While efficacy of autologous stem cells is uncertain and potential of regeneration might be to low, embryonic stem cells could represent another important option in future: because of pluripotency and a high potential of proliferation embryonic stem cells are the optimal resource for tissue engineering. Heart tissue which was generated in vitro could be transplanted in patients with chronic heart failure to increase cardiac function.


CONCLUSIONS
Whereas adult stem cells are applied in first clinical studies in myocardial infarction, embryonic stem cells are not clinically used yet. Nevertheless, embryonic stem cells might play an important role in therapy of chronic heart failure in future.
Theiss
Hans D
HD
Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I der LMU, Klinikum der Universität München--Grosshadern, München.
Franz
Wolfgang-M
WM
D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D019650:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D012038:Regeneration; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D023822:Tissue Engineering