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Beyond the Mammalian Heart: Fish and Amphibians as a Model for Cardiac Repair and Regeneration
Kyle Jewhurst1, Kelly A McLaughlin2
1Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA. Kyle.Jewhurst@tufts.edu.
Insights
Mammalian hearts poorly repair after damage, unlike fish and amphibians. Research on these animals reveals mechanisms for cardiac regeneration, offering insights into healing heart damage.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Comparative Biology
Background:
- Heart disease is a leading global cause of death.
- Mammalian heart repair is limited, leading to scarring and heart failure after injury.
- Fish and amphibians exhibit remarkable cardiac regeneration capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent findings on fish and amphibian heart regeneration mechanisms.
- To explore the morphological, cellular, and molecular processes involved in cardiac healing.
- To discuss tools and techniques used in studying heart regeneration.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent research on non-mammalian heart regeneration.
- Analysis of studies focusing on fish and amphibian cardiac repair.
- Examination of methodologies employed in the field.
Main Results:
- Non-mammalian models provide crucial data on cardiac healing processes.
- Understanding regeneration mechanisms in these species is advancing.
- Novel tools and techniques are enhancing research capabilities.
Conclusions:
- Fish and amphibian heart regeneration offers valuable insights into cardiac repair.
- Further research in these models can inform strategies for treating heart disease.
- Comparative studies are essential for unlocking regenerative potential.
Abstract:
The epidemic of heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, is made worse by the fact that the adult mammalian heart is especially poor at repair. Damage to the mammal heart-such as that caused by myocardial infarction-leads to scarring, resulting in cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. In contrast, the hearts of fish and urodele amphibians are capable of complete regeneration of cardiac tissue from multiple types of damage, with full restoration of functionality. In the last decades, research has revealed a wealth of information on how these animals are able to perform this remarkable feat, and non-mammalian models of heart repair have become a burgeoning new source of data on the morphological, cellular, and molecular processes necessary to heal cardiac damage. In this review we present the major findings from recent research on the underlying mechanisms of fish and amphibian heart regeneration. We also discuss the tools and techniques that have been developed to answer these important questions.
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