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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Induction of Endothelial Differentiation in Cardiac Progenitor Cells Under Low Serum Conditions
Published on: January 7, 2019
The dying stem cell hypothesis: immune modulation as a novel mechanism for progenitor cell therapy in cardiac muscle
Thomas Thum1, Johann Bauersachs, Philip A Poole-Wilson
1Department of Clinical Cardiology, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College of Medicine, London, United Kingdom. thum_t@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
Abstract:
Stem cell transplantation after myocardial infarction has been claimed to restore cardiac function, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. A minority of transplanted cells become adherent in heart tissue and contribute to neovascularization, whereas many donor cells die from apoptosis. We propose that apoptosis of transplanted cells modulates local tissue reactions. Apoptotic cells impact on immune reactivity by down-regulating innate and adaptive immunity, deactivating macrophages and dendritic cells, and stimulating regulatory T cells. This leads to reduced scar formation, repressed myocardial apoptosis, and improved cardiac outcome.
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