In vivo experience with natural scaffolds for myocardial infarction: the times they are a-changin

Treating a myocardial infarction (MI), the most frequent cause of death worldwide, remains one of the most exciting medical challenges in the 21st century. Cardiac tissue engineering, a novel emerging treatment, involves the use of therapeutic cells supported by a scaffold for regenerating the infar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Stem cell research & therapy 2015-12, Vol.6 (237), p.248-248, Article 248
Main Authors: Perea-Gil, Isaac, Prat-Vidal, Cristina, Bayes-Genis, Antoni
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alginates
Animals
Biocompatible Materials
Care and treatment
Cell Transplantation - methods
Cell Transplantation - trends
Cellular Microenvironment
Chitosan
Collagen
Drug Combinations
Fibrin
Gelatin
Glucuronic Acid
Health aspects
Heart attack
Hexuronic Acids
Humans
Hyaluronic Acid
Laminin
Materials Testing
Myocardial Infarction - pathology
Myocardial Infarction - physiopathology
Myocardial Infarction - therapy
Myocardium - metabolism
Myocardium - pathology
Proteoglycans
Regeneration
Review
Stem cells
Tissue Engineering - methods
Tissue Engineering - trends
Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry
Translational Medical Research
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Summary:Treating a myocardial infarction (MI), the most frequent cause of death worldwide, remains one of the most exciting medical challenges in the 21st century. Cardiac tissue engineering, a novel emerging treatment, involves the use of therapeutic cells supported by a scaffold for regenerating the infarcted area. It is essential to select the appropriate scaffold material; the ideal one should provide a suitable cellular microenvironment, mimic the native myocardium, and allow mechanical and electrical coupling with host tissues. Among available scaffold materials, natural scaffolds are preferable for achieving these purposes because they possess myocardial extracellular matrix properties and structures. Here, we review several natural scaffolds for applications in MI management, with a focus on pre-clinical studies and clinical trials performed to date. We also evaluate scaffolds combined with different cell types and proteins for their ability to promote improved heart function, contractility and neovascularization, and attenuate adverse ventricular remodeling. Although further refinement is necessary in the coming years, promising results indicate that natural scaffolds may be a valuable translational therapeutic option with clinical impact in MI repair.
ISSN:1757-6512
1757-6512
DOI:10.1186/s13287-015-0237-4