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World J Cardiol. May 26, 2010; 2(5): 107-111
Published online May 26, 2010. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v2.i5.107
Published online May 26, 2010. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v2.i5.107
Heart regeneration: Past, present and future
Adriana Bastos Carvalho, Antonio Carlos Campos de Carvalho, National Institute of Cardiology, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 22240-006, Brazil; Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics and Institute for Science and Technology in Structural Biology and Bioimaging, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21941-902, Brazil
Author contributions: Carvalho AB wrote the sections on past and current perspectives; Campos de Carvalho AC wrote future possibilities.
Correspondence to: Antonio Carlos Campos de Carvalho, MD, PhD, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Research Director, National Institute of Cardiology, Rua das Laranjeiras 374, 5o andar, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 22240-006, Brazil. acarlos@biof.ufrj.br
Telephone: +55-21-22055422 Fax: +55-21-22055422
Received: March 22, 2010
Revised: March 30, 2010
Accepted: April 6, 2010
Published online: May 26, 2010
Revised: March 30, 2010
Accepted: April 6, 2010
Published online: May 26, 2010
Abstract
The heart has been considered a post-mitotic organ without regenerative capacity for most of the last century. We review the evidence that led to this hypothesis in the early 1900s and how it was progressively modified, culminating with the report that we renew 50% of our cardiomyocytes during our lifetime. The future of cardiac regenerative therapies is discussed, presenting the difficulties to overcome before repair of the diseased heart can come into clinical practice.