Re-modelling 'hostile' milieu of diseased myocardium via paracrine function of transplanted cells or relaxin: Commentary

Abstract

While the approaches of regenerating cardiac muscle remain undetermined, recent evidence indicates that paracrine function of transplanted cells contributes significantly to the beneficial effects of cell therapy. Combination of such paracrine function of grafted cells with extracellular matrix remodelling by relaxin represents a promising complement to cell-based therapy for cardiac repair and muscle regeneration. © 2007 Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.