Scientists from the University of Tsukuba have found a way to repair heart damage in patients suffering from chronic heart failure. Research published in the journal Circulation.
Adult heart cells have very limited ability to form new heart tissue, so damaged areas of the heart muscle become filled with scar tissue. This impairs heart function and leads to arrhythmias, progressive heart failure and possible death.
Researchers artificially induced heart attacks in mice. One month later, they were injected with tamoxifen to activate the transformation of fibroblasts (cells that form scar tissue) into cardiomyocytes (normal heart muscle cells). Reprogramming only 2% of resident fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes significantly improved cardiac muscle function.
Moreover, the scientists not only prevented the formation of additional scar tissue, but also made some of the scar tissue functional. Using genetic analysis, the scientists confirmed that tamoxifen increased the expression of the MGTH gene, which reprograms fibroblasts in the heart muscle.