Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Myocardial Infarction in Neonatal Mice, A Model of Cardiac Regeneration
Published on: May 24, 2016
Mechanisms of Cardiac Regeneration
1Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Brigham Regenerative Medicine Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Abstract:
Adult humans fail to regenerate their hearts following injury, and this failure to regenerate myocardium is a leading cause of heart failure and death worldwide. Although all adult mammals appear to lack significant cardiac regeneration potential, some vertebrates can regenerate myocardium throughout life. In addition, new studies indicate that mammals have cardiac regeneration potential during development and very soon after birth. The mechanisms of heart regeneration among model organisms, including neonatal mice, appear remarkably similar. Orchestrated waves of inflammation, matrix deposition and remodeling, and cardiomyocyte proliferation are commonly seen in heart regeneration models. Understanding why adult mammals develop extensive scarring instead of regeneration is a crucial goal for regenerative biology.
Related Concept Videos
Pathophysiology of Heart Failure
Overview of Regeneration and Repair
Regeneration
All animals have varying degrees of...
Cardiac Action Potential
The cardiac action potential process involves a series of phases characterized by the movement of ions across the cardiac cell membranes, leading to the depolarization and repolarization of the cardiac myocytes.
Ionic Basis of Cardiac Action Potentials
Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles
Cardiac muscle cells are smaller than skeletal muscles, averaging 10–20 mm in diameter and 50–100 mm in length. However, they have large energy demands for continuous contraction and relaxation. This energy is almost exclusively derived from aerobic metabolism of energy...
Heart Failure II: Pathophysiology
Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm

