In:
Regenerative Medicine, Future Medicine Ltd, Vol. 3, No. 6 ( 2008-11), p. 953-962
Kurzfassung:
Cell therapy, the transplantation of progenitor cells into the myocardium, has been proposed as a possible treatment strategy for heart failure. Despite the lack of repopulation of the heart with progenitor cells, cell therapy induces a modest but well-documented functional improvement in patients. It is thought that paracrine mechanisms may account for the observed changes in heart function. However, there is little evidence that directly supports this hypothesis. We discuss the current views in the literature and present some preliminary data proposing that adult progenitor cells influence contractility and Ca 2+ handling in neighboring failing cardiomyocytes by soluble mediators. This can be tested using a co-culture system. Our results suggest that soluble mediators from adult progenitor cells can enhance failing cardiomyocyte function, supporting the paracrine hypothesis. This co-culture strategy can be employed to identify cell-specific soluble mediators and their cellular targets during cell therapy for the treatment of heart disease.
Materialart:
Online-Ressource
ISSN:
1746-0751
,
1746-076X
DOI:
10.2217/17460751.3.6.953
Sprache:
Englisch
Verlag:
Future Medicine Ltd
Publikationsdatum:
2008
