title: Cardiomyogenesis in the aging and failing human heart.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Two opposite views of cardiac growth are currently held; one views the heart as a static organ characterized by a large number of cardiomyocytes that are present at birth and live as long as the organism, and the other views the heart a highly plastic organ in which the myocyte compartment is restored several times during the course of life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age of cardiomyocytes, vascular endothelial cells (ECs), and fibroblasts and their turnover rates were measured by retrospective (14)C birth dating of cells in 19 normal hearts 2 to 78 years of age and in 17 explanted failing hearts 22 to 70 years of age. We report that the human heart is characterized by a significant turnover of ventricular myocytes, ECs, and fibroblasts, physiologically and pathologically. Myocyte, EC, and fibroblast renewal is very high shortly after birth, decreases during postnatal maturation, remains relatively constant in the adult organ, and increases dramatically with age. From 20 to 78 years of age, the adult human heart entirely replaces its myocyte, EC, and fibroblast compartment ≈8, ≈6, and ≈8 times, respectively. Myocyte, EC, and fibroblast regeneration is further enhanced with chronic heart failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The human heart is a highly dynamic organ that retains a remarkable degree of plasticity throughout life and in the presence of chronic heart failure. However, the ability to regenerate cardiomyocytes, vascular ECs, and fibroblasts cannot prevent the manifestations of myocardial aging or oppose the negative effects of ischemic and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. jkajstura@partners.org
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kajstura
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rota
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cappetta
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ogórek
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arranto
authors.forename: Yingnan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferreira-Martins
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Signore
authors.forename: Fumihiro
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sanada
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kostyla
authors.forename: Maria-Virginia
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fiorini
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Michler
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: del Monte
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosoda
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Perrella
authors.forename: Annarosa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leri
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Buchholz
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Loscalzo
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anversa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D024510:Muscle Development / Q000502:physiology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D012038:Regeneration; D014019:Tissue Donors; D055815:Young Adult