Myocyte Death, Growth, and Regeneration in Cardiac Hypertrophy and Failure

• Published in: Circulation research Vol. 92; no. 2; pp. 139 - 150
• Main Authors: Nadal-Ginard, Bernardo, Kajstura, Jan, Leri, Annarosa, Anversa, Piero
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD American Heart Association, Inc 07-02-2003; Lippincott; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiomegaly - pathology; Cardiomegaly - therapy; Cell Death; Cell Division; Cellular Senescence; Heart; Heart Failure - pathology; Heart Failure - therapy; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Humans; Medical sciences; Myocardium - pathology; Myocytes, Cardiac - pathology; Regeneration - physiology; Stem Cells; Heart; Human; Heart failure; Cell proliferation; stem cells; Pathophysiology; Stem cell; Cardiovascular disease; Review; Myocyte; Necrosis; Regeneration; myocyte regeneration; Heart disease; Animal; Circulatory system; myocyte apoptosis and necrosis; Apoptosis; Hypertrophy
• ISSN: 0009-7330; 1524-4571
• DOI: 10.1161/01.RES.0000053618.86362.DF

ABSTRACT—The accepted paradigm considers the adult mammalian heart as a postmitotic organ, which possesses a relatively constant number of myocytes from shortly after birth to adulthood and senescence. This notion is questioned by the demonstration that although most adult myocytes are terminally differentiated, there is a small and continuously renewed subpopulation of cycling myocytes produced by the differentiation of cardiac stem-like cells. Myocyte death and myocyte regeneration are introduced as major determinants of cardiac homeostasis and alterations of ventricular anatomy and function in physiological and pathological states. The possibility of reconstituting dead myocardium by stem-like cells is advanced and proposed as a major area of future research.