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Updated: Apr 8, 2026
Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Cardiac Cells for Myocardial Repair
Published on: February 3, 2017
Postinfarction Functional Recovery Driven by a Three-Dimensional Engineered Fibrin Patch Composed of Human Umbilical
Santiago Roura1, Carolina Soler-Botija1, Juli R Bagó1
1Heart Failure and Cardiac Regeneration Research Program and Flow Cytometry Facility, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Science Research Institute, Badalona, Spain; Cell Therapy Group, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, Zaragoza, Spain; Cardiology Service, University Hospital, Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain; Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
Considerable research has been dedicated to restoring myocardial cell slippage and limiting ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). We examined the ability of a three-dimensional (3D) engineered fibrin patch filled with human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCBMSCs) to induce recovery of cardiac function after MI. The UCBMSCs were modified to coexpress luciferase and fluorescent protein reporters, mixed with fibrin, and applied as an adhesive, viable construct (fibrin-cell patch) over the infarcted myocardium in mice (MI-UCBMSC group). The patch adhered well to the heart. Noninvasive bioluminescence imaging demonstrated early proliferation and differentiation of UCBMSCs within the construct in the postinfarct mice in the MI-UCBMSC group. The implanted cells also participated in the formation of new, functional microvasculature that connected the fibrin-cell patch to both the subjacent myocardial tissue and the host circulatory system. As revealed by echocardiography, the left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional shortening at sacrifice were improved in MI-UCBMSC mice and were markedly reduced in mice treated with fibrin alone and untreated postinfarction controls. In conclusion, a 3D engineered fibrin patch composed of UCBMSCs attenuated infarct-derived cardiac dysfunction when transplanted locally over a myocardial wound.
