Stem Cells And Exosomes In Cardiac Repair

Abstract

Cardiac diseases currently lead in the number of deaths per year, giving rise an interest in transplanting embryonic and adult stem cells as a means to improve damaged tissue from conditions such as myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease. After testing these cells as a treatment option in both animal and human models, it is believed that these cells improve the damaged tissue primarily through the release of autocrine and paracrine factors. Major concerns such as teratoma formation, immune response, difficulty harvesting cells, and limited cell proliferation and differentiation, hinder the routine use of these cells as a treatment option in the clinic. The advent of stem cell-derived exosomes circumvent those concerns, while still providing the growth factors, miRNA, and additional cell protective factors that aid in repairing and regenerating the damaged tissue. These exosomes have been found to be anti-apoptotic, anti-fibrotic, pro-angiogenic, as well as enhance cardiac differentiation, all of which are key to repairing damaged tissue. As such, stem cell derived exosomes are considered to be a potential new and novel approach in the treatment of various cardiac diseases.

Publication Date

4-1-2016

Publication Title

Current Opinion in Pharmacology

Volume

27

Number of Pages

19-23

Document Type

Editorial Material

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coph.2016.01.003

Socpus ID

84957571512 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84957571512

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