Pluripotent Stem Cells and Repair of Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Pluripotent stem cells mainly refer to Embryonic Stem (ES) cells and induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells. These two pluripotent stem cell types show significant similarities in their global histone modifications, gene expression patterns, and differentiation potentials. ES and iPS cells hold great promise in the field of regenerative medicine because they can give rise to all three germ layers, including cardiac lineages. Transplantation of ES cells and iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes (ES- or iPS-CMs) has emerged as a promising treatment for ischemic heart disease. Stem cell grafts may be implanted in areas of myocardial infarction to restore cardiac function by regenerating cardiomyocytes and inducing neovascularization. The objective of this review is to briefly present the current research in the field of repairing infarcted myocardium using ES cells and iPS cells.