Abstract

Due to the limited self-renewal capacity of cardiomyocytes, the mammalian heart exhibits impaired regeneration and insufficient ability to restore heart function after injury. Cardiovascular tissue engineering is currently considered as a promising alternative therapy to restore the structure and function of the failing heart. Recent evidences suggest that the epicardium may play critical roles in regulation of myocardial development and regeneration. One of the mechanisms has been proposed for the restorative effect of the epicardium is the specific physiomechanical cues that this layer provides to the cardiac cells. In this article we explore whether a new generation of epicardium-mimicking, acellular matrices can be utilized to enhance cardiac healing after injury. The matrix consists of a dense collagen scaffold, with optimized biomechanical properties approaching those of embryonic epicardium. Grafting the epicardial patch onto the ischemic myocardium, promptly post the incidence of infarct, resulted in preserved contractility, attenuated ventricular remodeling, diminished fibrosis, and vascularization within the injured tissue in the adult murine heart.

View details for DOI 10.4161/bioe.27751

View details for PubMedID 24637710