Stem Cell Repair Injured Heart Muscle

Scientists from the Children's Hospital of Pittsburg of UPMC have currently used stem cells derived from human skeletal muscle tissue to repair damaged heart muscles in a mouse. The scientists took stem cells that were purified from muscle-derived blood vessels. The researchers used an animal model of heart disease/damage. The animal model replicates conditions that occur after a human suffers a heart attack. The damage to the mice is believed to be similar to what occurs to a human patient.

The scientists transplanted myoendothelial cells derived from the stem cells into the injured heart. This allowed the stimulation of growth of a number of new vessels of blood in the mouse's heart. The stem cells were also able to reduce scar tissue that occurred from the injury. Doing this was able to cause a drastic improvement in the left ventricle heart injury. After approximately six weeks from the injection, the hearts with the added stem cells were able to functioing about 40 or 50 percent better.

These myoendothelial cells could potential treat those patients who have had a myocardial infarction. Basically scientists in the future may do a muscle biopsy on patients who had suffered a heart attack. They could then isolate and purify myoendothelial cells and then inject them into a person's heart muscle that was injured. This would allow researchers to avoid any tissue rejection by the patient as they would be injecting the patient's own cells into their body.

The results of this new study have been published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.