A new study has found vesicles secreted
from human heart cells may repair damaged tissue and prevent lethal heart
rhythm disorders.
New research from the Smidt Heart Institute
at Cedars-Sinai, US has found vesicles secreted from human heart cells may
repair damaged tissue and prevent lethal heart rhythm disorders. The research,
published in the European Heart Journal, could lead to a new way to treat a
heart rhythm problem called ventricular arrhythmia—a top cause of sudden
cardiac death.
Ventricular arrhythmias can occur after a
heart attack damages tissue, causing chaotic electrical patterns in the heart’s
lower chambers. This leads to the heart beating so rapidly that it cannot
support the circulation, leading to a lack of blood flow and, if untreated,
death. Current treatment options for ventricular arrhythmias caused by heart
attacks are far from ideal. These include medications with major side effects,
implanted devices to provide an internal shock, and a procedure called
radiofrequency ablation in which parts of the heart are purposely destroyed to
interrupt disruptive electrical signals. Recurrence rates are, unfortunately,
high for all of these.
The researchers carried out their study in
laboratory pigs that experienced a heart attack. They injected some of the
laboratory pigs with tiny, balloon-like vesicles, called exosomes, produced by
cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), which are progenitor cells derived from
human heart tissue. Exosomes are hardy particles containing molecules and the
molecular instructions to make various proteins, thus they are easier to handle
and transfer than the parent cells, or CDCs. One group of pigs received an
injection of CDC-derived exosomes in their hearts and the other a placebo.
The exosomes reduced the amount of scar
tissue formed in the injured regions of the heart, normalising the rhythm
without weakening the heart,” said Dr Eduardo Marbán, a co-author on the study.
World Journal of Case Reports and Clinical Images (ISSN 2835-1568)
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