Cell transplantation for ischemic heart disease

Abstract

Recent studies support the notion that cardiomyocyte regeneration may occur during physiological and pathological states in the adult heart. These data highlight the possibilities that myocardial regeneration may occur via cardiomyocyte proliferation and/or differentiation of putative cardiac stem cells. To date, various cell types have been used for cardiac repair, including skeletal myoblasts, bone marrow-derived cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells, cardiac stem cells, and embryonic stem cells (ESCs). This chapter will review each of these different stem cell populations in regards to the potential treatment of heart disease. We will examine the in vitro and in vivo animal studies, and then briefly discuss the cell therapy clinical trials that are currently underway for the treatment of ischemic heart disease.