title: Hyaluronan and cardiac regeneration.
abstract: Hyaluronan (HA) is abundantly expressed in several human tissues and a variety of roles for HA has been highlighted. Particularly relevant for tissue repair, HA is actively produced during tissue injury, as widely evidenced in wound healing investigations. In the heart HA is involved in physiological functions, such as cardiac development during embryogenesis, and in pathological conditions including atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Moreover, owing to its relevant biological properties, HA has been widely used as a biomaterial for heart regeneration after a myocardial infarction. Indeed, HA and its derivatives are biodegradable and biocompatible, promote faster healing of injured tissues, and support cells in relevant processes including survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Injectable HA-based therapies for cardiovascular disease are gaining growing attention because of the benefits obtained in preclinical models of myocardial infarction. HA-based hydrogels, especially as a vehicle for stem cells, have been demonstrated to improve the process of cardiac repair by stimulating angiogenesis, reducing inflammation, and supporting local and grafted cells in their reparative functions. Solid-state HA-based scaffolds have been also investigated to produce constructs hosting mesenchymal stem cells or endothelial progenitor cells to be transplanted onto the infarcted surface of the heart. Finally, applying an ex-vivo mechanical stretching, stem cells grown in HA-based 3D scaffolds can further increase extracellular matrix production and proneness to differentiate into muscle phenotypes, thus suggesting a potential strategy to create a suitable engineered myocardial tissue for cardiac regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Via Irnerio, 48, Bologna, 40126, Italy. f.bonafe@unibo.it.|National Institute for Cardiovascular Research (INRC), Bologna, Italy. f.bonafe@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonafè
authors.affiliation: BioEngLab, Health Science and Technology, Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (HST-CIRI), University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, Italy. marco.govoni6@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Govoni
authors.affiliation: BioEngLab, Health Science and Technology, Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (HST-CIRI), University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, Italy. emanuele.giordano@unibo.it.|Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Engineering "Silvio Cavalcanti", DEI, University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy. emanuele.giordano@unibo.it.|National Institute for Cardiovascular Research (INRC), Bologna, Italy. emanuele.giordano@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Via Irnerio, 48, Bologna, 40126, Italy. claudio.caldarera@unibo.it.|National Institute for Cardiovascular Research (INRC), Bologna, Italy. claudio.caldarera@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Claudio Marcello
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Caldarera
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Via Irnerio, 48, Bologna, 40126, Italy. carlo.guarnieri@unibo.it.|BioEngLab, Health Science and Technology, Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (HST-CIRI), University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, Italy. carlo.guarnieri@unibo.it.|National Institute for Cardiovascular Research (INRC), Bologna, Italy. carlo.guarnieri@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guarnieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Via Irnerio, 48, Bologna, 40126, Italy. claudio.muscari@unibo.it.|BioEngLab, Health Science and Technology, Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (HST-CIRI), University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, Italy. claudio.muscari@unibo.it.|National Institute for Cardiovascular Research (INRC), Bologna, Italy. claudio.muscari@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muscari
mesh_terms: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D012038:Regeneration; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid