Scientists in Australia have found that the human heart is capable of regenerating muscle cells after a heart attack, a discovery that could pave the way for new regenerative treatments for heart failure.
The study, published in the journal Circulation Research, shows that while portions of the heart remain scarred following a heart attack, new muscle cells are also formed — a phenomenon earlier observed only in mice and now demonstrated in humans for the first time.
Researchers analysed living heart tissue samples collected from patients undergoing bypass surgery at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The findings challenge the long-held belief that damage caused by heart attacks is permanent due to the loss of heart muscle cells.
“Until now, it was believed that areas of the heart damaged after an attack were irreversibly impaired,” said Robert Hume, a research fellow at the University of Sydney and the study’s first author. “Our findings suggest the heart has a natural, though limited, capacity to regenerate.”
While increased cell division after heart attacks had previously been seen in animal models, this is the first evidence of the process occurring in human heart tissue. The researchers said future therapies could aim to enhance this natural regenerative ability.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally, with heart attacks capable of destroying up to a third of the heart’s cells. The researchers said the discovery lays the groundwork for regenerative medicine approaches that could help reverse heart failure.
IANS
