Research team from Sechenov University together with their Russian colleagues published a review of treatment strategies involving mesenchymal stem cells that are used to combat the consequences of ischemic heart disease (IHD). These cells are able to stimulate repair processes in affected tissues and at the same time do not cause any adverse reactions of the immune system. Due to these properties they can be used in various areas of regenerative medicine. The work was published in the Current Pharmaceutical Design journal.
Ischemic heart disease is considered one of the biggest mortality factors in the world. IHD refers to devascularization of the heart causing its cells (cardiomyocytes) to die. The work of the heart deteriorates which may lead to a patient’s disability or even death. Natural turnover of cardiomyocytes is slow, especially in the elderly, making them prone to IHD. A recent prospective approach includes stimulation of damaged tissues restoration with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). They can be found in many tissues of the body (bone marrow, blood, placenta, etc) and can be differentiated into several types of cells, including cardiomyocytes. However, these are rare occasions. The main value of MCS lies in the synthesis of biologically active substances. They can be used to attract new stem cells to the damaged sites to form vessels and partially replace dead cardiomyocytes.
“The application of cell therapy technologies for IHD treatment has been widely studied since early 2000s. Our review covers the use of mesenchymal stem cells for this dangerous condition,” says Mikhail Konoplyannikov, a PhD in biology, and a leading research associate at the Department of Modern Biological Materials at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University.
The scientists considered existing strategies of modifying MSC culture to improve its regenerative potential. Besides the enhancement of the genes in charge of biologically active substance synthesis, another promising technology was the preparation of cells in oxygen deficiency conditions that are typical for IHC-affected tissues. This effect can be reached by treating the culture with special substances (oxytocin, nitrogen oxide, and so on). Another important issue in cell therapy is targeted cell delivery. The authors described traditional methodologies (injection into blood vessels or into the heart muscle, including via catheterization) and focused on the potential of different carriers. They can be produced from synthetic or natural materials and used to deliver the attached MSC to the affected sites.
“Experiments on animals confirm the efficiency of MSC therapy in the treatment of IHD. However, the results of clinical trials are ambiguous and often unsatisfactory. This might be due to the fact that there is no single technology of cell treatment or the procedure itself. However, the current works seem promising,” concludes Mikhail Konoplyannikov.
The review was prepared together with scientists from the Federal Research Clinical Center of the Federal Medico-Biological Agency of Russia, N.N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, A.F.Tsyb Medical Radiology Research Center, and Federal Research Center “Crystallography and Photonics” of the Russian Academy of Sciences.