Mechanistic effects of mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells: New therapeutic targets in myocardial infarction

Abstract

Myocardial infarction (MI) results in dysfunction and irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes and is of the most serious health threats today. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been explored as promising cell therapy in MI and regenerative therapy. Recently, reports investigated the potential therapeutic effects of MSCs or HSCs transplantation after MI in numerous experimental and clinical studies; however, their results are controversy and needs more explorations. The current review is an attempt to clarify the therapeutic potentials of MSCs and HSCs in MI therapy, as well as their possible effects; especially the paracrine one and the exosome-derived stem cell among animal models as well as clinical trials conducted within the last 10 years. In this context, various sources of MSCs and HSCs have been addressed in helping cardiac regeneration by either revitalizing the cardiac stem cells niche or revascularizing the arteries and veins of the heart. In addition, both MSCs and HSCs could produce paracrine mediators and growth factors which led to cardiomyocytes protection, angiogenesis, immunemodulation, antioxidants, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, as well as increasing cardiac contractility. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs), post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), a miRNA sponge, are recent stem cell-derived mediators can be promising targets of MSCs and HSCs through their paracrine effects. Although MSCs and HSCs have achieved considerable achievements, however, some challenges still remain that need to be overcome in order to establish it as a successful technique. The present review clarified the mechanistic potentials of MSCs and HSCs especially paracrine effects involved in MI including human and animal studies and the challenges challenges regarding type, differentiation, route, and number of injections.

Keywords: cardiac regeneration; exosomes; hematopoietic stem cells; long non-coding RNA; mesenchymal stem cells; micro-RNA; myocardial infarction; paracrine effects.