Increased cardiac myocyte progenitors in failing human hearts.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Increasing evidence, derived mainly from animal models, supports the existence of endogenous cardiac renewal and repair mechanisms in adult mammalian hearts that could contribute to normal homeostasis and the responses to pathological insults.

Methods and results

Translating these results, we isolated small c-kit+ cells from 36 of 37 human hearts using primary cell isolation techniques and magnetic cell sorting techniques. The abundance of these cardiac progenitor cells was increased nearly 4-fold in patients with heart failure requiring transplantation compared with nonfailing controls. Polychromatic flow cytometry of primary cell isolates (<30 microm) without antecedent c-kit enrichment confirmed the increased abundance of c-kit+ cells in failing hearts and demo

SUBMITTER: Kubo H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2652486 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature