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Scientists have developed the plaster for a cardiac muscle which stimulates growth of heart cells after cardiac infarction, informs HealthDay News.
The plaster successfully tested on rats, can be essentially new method of regeneration of the damaged cardiac tissues, and perhaps, an alternative of heart transplantation to some patients, claim scientists from cardiology department of the Boston Children’s Hospital. Their research has been published in Nature Medicine.
In usual conditions the myocardium (cardiac muscle) of the adult person does not regenerate after a heart attack, and the damaged area is replaced by a healing (scar) tissue, that reduces contractile muscle ability.
The research group headed by Bernhard Kuhn, tried to develop a technique stimulating cardiac tissues to production of new cells. For this purpose scientists have created a plaster from the porous absorbing gelatin saturate with periostin.
Periostin is regulatory albumen contained in periosteum and parodentium. Its function is stimulation of osteoblast to division and production of bone stock. Influenced by periostin heart cells also start to divide, that promote growth of normal cardiac tissue in the damaged area.
Tests have shown, that the damaged area decreased in sizes and received blood from more vessels, and the amount of cardiac cells increased in 100 times.
Advantage of the new technique is that it does not need application of stem or other cells for tissue growth stimulation. Besides, it does not mean influence on the genic cell system, i.e. is not a genic therapy.