2023-07-04 14:20:58
A biological ‘patch’ to repair the damaged heart, for example from a heart attack. This could be the description of the goal achieved by a study coordinated by Antonio Musarò professor of the Sapienza University of Rome and of the Pasteur Institute Italy, published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’ of the Nature group, which brought to light an important development in research on cardiac regenerative medicine. Researchers have introduced an innovative experimental tool called X-MET (engineered muscle tissue).
One of the most demanding challenges in the field of regenerative medicine – a note begins – is that of finding effective therapeutic approaches to repair the adult heart after a trauma such as a heart attack. Recently, stem cell transplantation and tissue engineering have attracted great interest as possible therapeutic options. However, previous research has shown that transplanted stem cells have a limited ability to make functional connections with cardiomyocytes, the muscle cells of the heart.
The results of this research revealed that mechanical stimuli can trigger a functional remodeling in the 3D skeletal muscle system, transforming it into a structure similar to heart muscle. This finding was supported by molecular and functional analyzes demonstrating that remodeled X-MET expresses relevant markers of functional cardiomyocytes compared to unstimulated skeletal muscle culture systems and classical two-dimensional cultures.
The most promising results emerged during experiments conducted on a mouse model of chronic myocardial ischemia. X-MET implantation not only preserved cardiac function, but also significantly increased the survival of transplanted infarcted mice by modulating the inflammatory response and reducing fibrosis in the damaged heart. The use of engineered X-MET therefore represents a sort of biological patch for the damaged heart and represents a step forward in the field of cardiac regenerative medicine.
This study paves the way for further research and multidisciplinary collaborations, which could lead to a significant change in the treatment of heart disease. The study was supported by the Istituto Pasteur Italia, the Rome Foundation, Afm-Telethon, while the Ibsa-Foundation supported the scholarship of Marianna Cosentino, first author of the study.
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