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Updated: Dec 31, 2025
Intramyocardial Transplantation of MSC-Loading Injectable Hydrogels after Myocardial Infarction in a Murine Model
Published on: September 20, 2020
Application of injectable hydrogels for cardiac stem cell therapy and tissue engineering
Keshav Narayan Alagarsamy1, Weiang Yan1,2, Abhay Srivastava1
1Regenerative Medicine Program, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, MB R3T 2N2, Winnipeg, Canada.
Stem cell therapy shows promise for regenerating heart tissue lost to ischemic heart disease. Injectable hydrogels improve stem cell survival and engraftment, advancing cardiac tissue engineering for heart repair.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases cause a third of global deaths, with ischemic heart disease being the leading cause.
- Ischemic heart disease leads to coronary artery constriction, reduced blood flow, and myocardial infarction, damaging heart structure and function.
- Current treatments cannot restore heart muscle lost after myocardial infarction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review injectable hydrogels used in cardiac tissue engineering for stem cell transplantation.
- To explore cell-material interactions for optimizing stem cell survival and engraftment.
- To guide the development of functional 3D constructs for cardiac regeneration.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on injectable hydrogels in cardiac tissue engineering.
- Analysis of stem cell sources including adult, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells.
- Discussion of biomaterials as 3D vehicles for stem cell delivery to infarct sites.
Main Results:
- Biomaterials, particularly injectable hydrogels, have shown promise in improving stem cell survival post-transplantation.
- Cell-material interactions are critical for successful stem cell engraftment and function.
- Injectable hydrogels facilitate stem cell transplantation into cardiac infarct sites.
Conclusions:
- Stem cell therapy is a viable strategy for myocardial regeneration.
- Injectable hydrogels enhance stem cell survival and engraftment, overcoming key limitations in cardiac tissue engineering.
- Optimizing cell-material interactions is essential for developing effective stem cell-based cardiac regeneration therapies.
