Molecular mechanisms of cardiomyocyte regeneration and therapeutic outlook.
Differently from some lower vertebrates, which can completely regenerate their heart, in higher vertebrates cardiac injury generally leads to progressive failure. Induction of cycle re-entry in terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes and stem-cell transplantation are strategies to increase the regenerative potential of the heart. As experimental and clinical studies progress, demonstrating that adult stem-cell administration has a favorable impact on myocardial function, the identification of cardiac stem cells suggests that some endogenous repair mechanisms actually exist in the mammalian heart. However, a deeper understanding of the mechanism that drives cardiomyocyte proliferation and stem-cell-mediated cardiac repair is required to translate such strategies into effective therapies.
Germani
Antonia
A
Laboratorio di Biologia Vascolare e Terapia Genica, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Via Parea 4, 20138 Milan, Italy.
Di Rocco
Giuliana
G
Limana
Federica
F
Martelli
Fabio
F
Capogrossi
Maurizio C
MC
D000818:Animals; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000276:immunology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000276:immunology*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology*