Can stem cells repair the ischemic myocardium ?

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A loss of cardiomyocytes that underlies acute myocardial infarction (AMI), chronic ischemic heart failure (HF), and cardiomyopathy (CM) was, until now, considered irreversible. However, according to the newest research data, the stem cell (SC) therapy can offer an innovative and safe treatment strategy for many patients with AMI, and/or subsequent HF. The main issues that still need to be resolved include: indications for a specific SC type, dosage, route and time of administration, in various clinical scenarios of myocardial ischemia. Therefore, exploring the long-term efficacy of currently available methods, and investigating various combination approaches (e.g.: the application of SCs and paracrine factors, or designing of biomaterials that might regenerate the ischemic myocardium) remain crucial. Of course, a large-scale, prospective RCTs, in the settings of AMI leading to ischemic HF, are necessary to precisely establish clinical outcomes, patient survival, and quality of life, prior to implementing the SC-based therapies into the clinical armamentarium. Despite these challenges, many cardiac patients and their physicians can have a reasonable hope that the SC, as a novel therapy on the horizon, can be beneficial.

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