Induced pluripotent stem cells against infarction
Scientists have managed to cure the mouse heart with induced pluripotent cells for the first timeDmitry Tselikov, Compulenta
The researchers were able to compensate for some of the damage caused to the heart as a result of a heart attack, thanks to stem cells that were obtained from connective tissue.
The study was conducted on mice. This was the first attempt to use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to treat the heart. The purpose of such experiments is to abandon heart transplants, which are always in short supply and for the survival of which it is necessary to use dangerous substances that block the immune system.
Andre Terzic and his colleagues from the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota, USA) were able to reprogram fibroblasts, which contribute to the formation of connective tissue and scars, so that they turned into stem cells capable of developing into new heart muscle cells.
Doctors transplanted these cells into the damaged heart tissues of mice and found that the progress of structural damage stopped within four weeks, the work of the heart muscle was restored, tissue regeneration occurred in the damaged area.
Stem cells offer huge opportunities for regenerative medicine, as they can be created in the laboratory. They can replace the tissues of the heart, liver, skin, eyes, brain, nerve cells and other organs damaged as a result of illness, accident, military operations or natural wear and tear. In addition, they can help in the treatment of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as type I diabetes.
Stem cell research has been limited because it was obtained from embryos. In 2007, scientists discovered a way to reprogram adult skin cells into stem cells, after which the debate about the degree of ethics of using embryonic stem cells lost its meaning, and the number of experiments began to increase exponentially.
iPS cells have not yet been tested on humans. Most likely, this will have to wait for many more years.
The results of the study are published in the journal Circulation.
Prepared according to the materials of France Press.
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