Stem cells and cardiovascular tissue repair: Mechanism, methods, and clinical applications

Cardiac stem cell therapy is emerging as a potential novel treatment for patients with heart disease. Experimental studies and clinical trials have shown that stem cell transplantation can achieve certain degrees of success in enhancing myocardial perfusion, repair or regeneration, leading to improvement of cardiac function. Different types of stem cells including those from embryonic and adult tissues have been tested, and each stem cell type has advantages and disadvantages. The stem cell type(s) most suitable for cardiac cell therapy is hard to define, but such cells are usually characterized by their high potential for survival, growth, and differentiation as well as integration into the host tissue. Selection of proper delivery methods according to lesion size and location is also a critical factor for the success of stem cell therapy. Preliminary data from experimental stem cell research and clinical trials for cardiac stem cell therapy are controversial, yet encouraging.