Amniotic membrane as a potent source of stem cells and a matrix for engineering heart tissue

Abstract

Existing therapies for the treatment of chronic heart failure still have some limitations and there is a pressing need for the development of new therapeutic modalities. The amniotic membrane has been used for the treatment of various diseases, such as con-junctive defects; however, the mechanisms behind its repair functions are still unclear. Regenerative medi-cine is seeking newer alternatives and among them, biomaterials have emerged in recent years for devel-oping and manipulating molecules, cells, tissues or organs grown in laboratories in order to replace hu-man body parts. Many such materials have been used for this purpose, either synthetically or biologically, in order to provide new medical devices. This review provides a wider view of the regeneration potential of the use of amniotic membrane as a potential biomate-rial to facilitate the implementation of new research in surgical procedures. Amniotic membrane appears to be an alternative source of stem cells as well as an excellent biomaterial for cell-based therapeutic ap-plications in engineering heart tissue.