Stem cells as therapy for cardiac disease - a review.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Stem cells represent an enormous chance to rebuild damaged heart tissue. Correct definition of the cardiac progenitors is necessary to understand heart development, and would pave the way for the use of cardiac progenitors in the treatment of heart disease. Identifying, purifying and differentiating native cardiac progenitor cells are indispensable if we are to overcome congenital and adult cardiac diseases. To understand their functions, physiology and action, cells are tested in animal models, and then in clinical trials. But because clinical trials yield variable results, questions about proper cardiac stem cells remain unanswered. Transplanted stem cells release soluble factors, acting in a paracrine fashion, which contributes to cardiac regeneration. Cytokines and growth factors have cytoprotective and neovascularizing functions, and may activate resident cardiac stem cells. Understanding all these mechanisms is crucial to overcoming heart diseases.

[Use of adipose tissue as a source of mesenchymal stem cells]. / Wykorzystanie tkanki tluszczowej jako zródla mezenchymalnych komórek macierzystych.

Enormous expectations are associated with stem cells with regard to cell therapy and tissue engineering. Stem cells have unlimited potential for self-renewal and develop into various cell types. For the mesodermal tissue engineering such a source of cells is the bone marrow stroma. However, isolation of the bone marrow requires general or spinal anesthesia and yields low number of mesodermal stem cells (MSCs) upon processing (1 MSC per 105 adherent stromal cells). An alternative source of autologous stem cells seems to be, apart from bone marrow: periosteum, muscular tissue or synovial membrane and adipose tissue. The adipose tissue is derived from the embryonic mesenchyme, contains a large number of stromal stem cells and is relatively easy to obtain in large quantities. It covers a widespread area of human body, and can be classified as white and brown adipose tissue in terms of location and function. Specimens of the adipose tissue are usually obtained from elective, laparoscopic or liposuction surgeries. Stromal stem cells, isolated from this tissue, exhibit characteristics common to mesodermal tissues, including: adherence to plastic, formation of fibroblastic- like colonies, extensive proliferative capacity, ability to differentiate into several mesodermal lineages (including bone, cartilage, muscle and fat), and expression of several common cell surface antigens. Recent evidence suggest that these cells can also form non-mesodermal tissues--neuron-like cells. The aim of this publication is to describe the application of the adipose tissue as a source of mesenchymal stem cells based on current literature data.