US scientists found that "stem cell heart therapy" mechanism has nothing to do with "stem cell"

Recently, molkentin research team of Cincinnati Children's Hospital published a paper in nature, saying that the underlying mechanism of "stem cell heart therapy" is not directly related to "stem cells" For 15 years, scientists have implanted various types of stem cells into the heart of patients with myocardial injury, regenerating the injured muscle and enhancing heart function The latest research shows that this kind of cell therapy may not be due to the regeneration function of stem cells, but caused by the wound healing reaction of human body Molkentin's team injected two different types of cells, bone marrow monocytes and cardiac mesenchymal cells, into the heart region of mice damaged by temporary hypoxia to mimic a heart attack It was found that the cardiac function of the mice receiving cell injection was significantly better than that of the mice receiving placebo However, it was found that the effect of yeast glycan injection was better than that of stem cell injection, and the effect time was longer In order to further study the mechanism of this therapy, the research group injected dead cell fragments into some mice, and found that this can also improve the heart function This study shows that the actual mechanism of injection therapy is likely to be immune response rather than stem cell regeneration About five years ago, scientists proved that the previously popular "heart stem cells" did not exist, leading to the withdrawal of a series of contributions by Piero Anversa, an influential former Harvard University cardiopathologist But the latest research shows that although "heart stem cells" do not exist, it is still possible to enhance the heart function by injecting biochemical factors through activating the immune response of the body According to Joshua hare, a cardiologist at the University of Miami, "this study shows the potential value of clinical research on stem cells injected into the heart." However, hare also pointed out that there is a big difference between mice and humans, and the relevant theories and effects need to be further verified