Swedish scientists from the Karolinska Institute have discovered a way to initiate the restoration of heart muscle cells (myocytes) after organ damage. The study was published in the scientific journal Circulation.
The specialists found that after an injury, the rate of myocyte renewal is significantly reduced. The standard treatment for patients with progressive heart failure is a surgically implanted pump that helps move blood — the so-called left ventricular assist device (LVAD).
However, the mechanism of this effect is still unknown, and there are no hypotheses to explain it.
As observations have shown, after installing an LVAD, patients experienced a significant improvement in the regeneration function of heart muscle cells, six times exceeding the similar indicator of a healthy heart.
However, the mechanism of this effect is still unknown, and there are no hypotheses to explain it.
The results of the study opened up the possibility of developing new treatments for patients with serious heart diseases that stimulate the heart’s ability to recover from damage. Thus, patients would not have to rely only on a heart transplant or other types of long-term mechanical support, the scientists noted.