Mesenchymale Stammzellen zur kardialen Regeneration : HOT: heranzüchten, optimieren, transplantieren (Stand der Wissenschaft)

Engraftment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been proposed as a potential approach for the treatment of cardiac dysfunction. However, poor cell survival limits the regenerative capacity of this promising method. Following temporary overexpression of the anti-apoptotic gene BCL-2 in MSCs (BCL-MSCs) using a non-viral polymer-based gene transfer system, LAD (left anterior descending coronary artery) ligation in the rat experiment and subsequent injection of BCL-2-MSCs in the infarction border zone led to improvement of cell survival in vivo, significantly decreased infarction size, and enhanced capillary density. BCL-2-MSCs exhibit in vitro significantly higher resistance to apoptosis and produce significantly higher amounts of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) under hypoxic conditions. The review discusses results from the award winning work in the current context.