title: Regenerating new heart with stem cells.
abstract: This article discusses current understanding of myocardial biology, emphasizing the regeneration potential of the adult human heart and the mechanisms involved. In the last decade, a novel conceptual view has emerged. The heart is no longer considered a postmitotic organ, but is viewed as a self-renewing organ characterized by a resident stem cell compartment responsible for tissue homeostasis and cardiac repair following injury. Additionally, HSCs possess the ability to transdifferentiate and acquire the cardiomyocyte, vascular endothelial, and smooth muscle cell lineages. Both cardiac and hematopoietic stem cells may be used therapeutically in an attempt to reverse the devastating consequences of chronic heart failure of ischemic and nonischemic origin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, 75 Francis Street, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. panversa@partners.org
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anversa
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kajstura
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rota
authors.forename: Annarosa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053687:Adult Stem Cells; D000818:Animals; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells; D006801:Humans; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012038:Regeneration; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*