A study in mice suggests that certain placenta-derived cells might aid in regenerating damaged hearts. Adult mammalian heart tissue possesses limited capacity for regeneration following injury. Previous research has shown that certain fetal-derived cells, expressing the protein Cdx2, naturally migrate from the placenta to the injured maternal heart and form functional heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes. To evaluate the clinical potential of Cdx2 cells for heart repair, Hina Chaudhry, Sangeetha Vadakke-Madathil, and colleagues devised a method to label and track mouse fetal-derived Cdx2-expressing cells. The cells differentiated into beating cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, or smooth muscle cells when cultured in the presence of other cardiomyocytes or cardiac fibroblasts. The Cdx2 cells expressed low levels of major histocompatibility complex molecules, suggesting that the cells could evade the host immune system, and expressed proteins found in embryonic stem cells as well as a distinct set of proteins. When fetal-derived Cdx2 cells were injected into mice following a heart attack, the cells engrafted into the heart at and around the injury site and differentiated into mature cardiomyocytes and vascular cells, leading to improved cardiac function compared with controls. The results suggest that Cdx2 cells derived from the placenta could form the basis of a cardiac repair therapy in humans, according to the authors.
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Article #18-11827: "Multipotent fetal-derived Cdx2 cells from placenta regenerate the heart," by Sangeetha Vadakke-Madathil et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Hina W. Chaudhry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; tel: 917-312-9983; e-mail: hina.chaudhry@mssm.edu