title: Stem cells as therapy for cardiac disease - a review.
abstract: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Stem cells represent an enormous chance to rebuild damaged heart tissue. Correct definition of the cardiac progenitors is necessary to understand heart development, and would pave the way for the use of cardiac progenitors in the treatment of heart disease. Identifying, purifying and differentiating native cardiac progenitor cells are indispensable if we are to overcome congenital and adult cardiac diseases. To understand their functions, physiology and action, cells are tested in animal models, and then in clinical trials. But because clinical trials yield variable results, questions about proper cardiac stem cells remain unanswered. Transplanted stem cells release soluble factors, acting in a paracrine fashion, which contributes to cardiac regeneration. Cytokines and growth factors have cytoprotective and neovascularizing functions, and may activate resident cardiac stem cells. Understanding all these mechanisms is crucial to overcoming heart diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland. katarzyna.jezierska@uwm.edu.pl
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jezierska-Woźniak
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mystkowska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tutas
authors.forename: Marek Kajetan
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jurkowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells