Heart failure is one of the several causes of human death in the world. But this problem may be reduced in future as scientists have conducted a research, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, in which they injected human stem cells into monkeys to reinstate their heart function. This study may help doctors to control or reduce heart failure that causes several deaths annually.
"The cells form new muscle that integrates into the heart so that it pumps vigourously again. In some animals the cells returned the hearts' functioning to better than 90 per cent of normal," said Charles Murry, a professor at the University of Washington in the US.
Heart attack damages the muscles of heart that causes heart failure. The damaged heart muscles lose its efficiency to contract and converts into scar tissue. Scar tissue obstructs normal blood supply and oxygen to the other regions of heart muscles, resulting in heart failure.
Scientists chose macaque monkeys for this experiment because their heart size and general composition are similar to human heart.
The monkeys opted for experiment had heart attacks that lowered the capacity of blood emission of left ventricle in their heart from about 65 percent to 40 percent. This reduced ejection fractions can easily make heart failure.
The scientists then administered heart stem cells that were managed from human embryo in the region of the damaged tissue. After three months treatment, scientists found that the monkeys that received 750 million of human embryonic stem cells had developed ejection fractions from 40 percent to 66 percent, which is considered as the normal fraction.
The researchers found that the experiment had developed new muscle tissue by replacing the damaged scar tissue. The risk of immune rejection would also be reduced by altering genetic information of the transplanted stem cells.
"The goal of the research is to develop a treatment that could be given to people shortly after a heart attack to prevent heart failure. Because heart cells are long-lived there should be no need for additional treatments," Murry said.
"What we hope to do is create a 'one-and-done' treatment with frozen 'off-the-shelf' cells that, like O-negative blood, can go into any recipient with only moderate immune suppression," Murry said.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/human-stem-cells-may-help-treat-heart-failure-study/articleshow/64843447.cms