Stem Cells and Heart Disease and Heart Attack
Each year, over 1 million Americans experience a heart attack and there are about twelve million who have survived but now may suffer from scar tissue, hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Restoring blood flow, improving perfusion, reducing clinical symptoms, and augmenting ventricular functions are the common treatments after acute myocardial infarction. In congestive heart failure, no clinical procedure is available to restore the lost or dysfunctional myocardium, other than replacing the heart. Stem cells can potentially restore the viability of heart cells.
Heart cells lose their ability to proliferate shortly after birth. However, satellite stem cells are being investigated for their potential in differentiating to heart cells. |
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Kr. Kao and associates have been using satellite cells from skeletal muscle for myocardial regeneration in dogs for the past fifteen years. The satellite cells have been successfully isolated, labeled, and implanted into injured heart for new heart cell formation and functional improvement. Significant improvement in heart contractions were observed in the animals having the cell transplantation.
In clinical research, skeletal stem cells were transplanted into and around the heart scar of a 72 year old man who suffered severe heart failure from a heart attack. This was the first clinical case resulting in significant clinical improvement in the patient and demonstrating that the new tissue could contract rhythmically with the other heart cells. The use of satellite cells for heart regeneration therefore has the potential for being an alternative for treating those who have suffered and will suffer a heart attack or heart failure.
This information is presented for educational purposes only.
For Stem Cell Research References Click Here!
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