Research Progress towards the Effects of Fatty Acids on the Differentiation and Maturation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Cardiomyocytes

Abstract

The incidence of cardiovascular disease has been continuously increasing. Because cardiomyocytes (CM) are non-renewable cells, it is difficult to find appropriate CM sources to repair injured hearts. Research of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) differentiation and maturation into CM has been invaluable for the treatment of heart diseases. The use of hiPSCs as regenerative therapy allows for the treatment of many diseases that cannot be cured, including progressive heart failure. This review contributes to the study of cardiac repair and targeted treatment of cardiovascular diseases at the cytological level. Recent studies have shown that for differentiation and maturation of hiPSCs into CMs, fatty acids have a strong influence on cellular metabolism, organelle development, expression of specific genes, and functional performance. This review describes the recent research progress on how fatty acids affect the differentiation of hiPSCs into CMs and their maturation.