Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for cardiac repair

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Opinion statement Owing to the prevalence of heart disease and the lack of effective long-term solutions for managing cardiac injury, research has turned to cell therapy as a potential mechanism for myocardial repair. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in particular have become popular because their differentiative ability and their angiogenic and immunomodulatory properties make them attractive candidates for transplantation. However, there is still debate regarding the optimal strategy for the delivery of these cells. Recent clinical studies have isolated MSCs from a variety of tissue origins and have also tested the benefits of pretreatment with cardiogenic growth factors. Meanwhile, a newer school of thought instead supports the utilization of cardiomyocytes generated from MSC-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. This review will examine the promise of MSC therapy, discuss the results of past work, and propose steps that must be taken in the future.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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