Research advances in cardiac stem cells / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A large amount of studies have demonstrated that stem cells in the heart of mammal participate in heart self-renewal and endogenous repair.OBJECTIVE: To summarize the source, classification, features of cardiac stem cells and application in heart disease. METHODS: A computer-based online search of PubMed database was performed for articles published between January 2000 and December 2010 related to the source, classification, features of cardiac stem cells and its effects on myocardial regeneration with key words cardiac stem cell. Clinical studies and basic studies were all included. Repetitive studies and Meta analysis were excluded. Finally, 32 articles were included.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Cardiac stem cell is a type of stem cells in the heart, with properties of self-renewal and cloning proliferation. It can differentiate into cardiomyocyte and endothelial cell and plays a role in heart injury repair to improve heart function. Cardiac stem cells have been in vitro isolated, cultured and amplified to transplant into animal heart, which lays a foundation for clinical application. However, some questions remain poorly understood as to the homeostasis and dynamic changes, processes involved in their differentiation into heart functioning cells, as well as influential factors and regulation.