Bone marrow stem cell transplantation for cardiac repair

Husnain Kh Haider, Muhammad Ashraf

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

87 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cardiomyocytes respond to physiological or pathological stress only by hypertrophy and not by an increase in the number of functioning cardiomyocytes. However, recent evidence suggests that adult cardiomyocytes have the ability, albeit limited, to divide to compensate for the cardiomyocyte loss in the event of myocardial injury. Similarly, the presence of stem cells in the myocardium is a good omen. Their activation to participate in the repair process is, however, hindered by some as-yet-undetermined biological impediments. The rationale behind the use of adult stem cell transplantation is to supplement the inadequacies of the intrinsic repair mechanism of the heart and compensate for the cardiomyocyte loss in the event of injury. Various cell types including embryonic, fetal, and adult cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells, and stable cell lines have been used to augment the declining cardiomyocyte number and cardiac function. More recently, the focus has been shifted to the use of autologous skeletal myoblasts and bone marrow-derived stem cells. This review is a synopsis of some interesting aspects of the fast-emerging field of bone marrow-derived stem cell therapy for cardiac repair.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)H2557-H2567
JournalAmerican Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology
Volume288
Issue number6 57-6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cardiomyocyte
  • Myocardial infarction
  • Plasticity
  • Transdifferentiation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Physiology (medical)

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