Stem cells: prospects for cardiac regeneration: an overview

The main approach of cardiac tissue engineering is the repair and reconstruction of the affected area to prevent heart failure following a heart attack. To replace necrotic cardiomyocytes and damaged extracellular matrix after a heart attack, heart tissue engineers have focused on different strategies to improve the affected areas. Current approaches for cardiac tissue engineering that have been studied include: transplantation of cells without using any carriers or in combination with scaffolding (cardiac patch) and their injection at the site of injury, implantation of tissue grafts and also the host cells are stimulated to move to the site of injury. The main aim of all these approaches is to replace the lost cells and restore the function of the heart tissue. In all methods, cells play an essential role in tissue regeneration. Other factors, such as scaffolding, cell culture medium and the route of cell injection and implantation may increase the potential for heart muscle repair.