Imagine you could grow a new limb or a new organ. We would be able to live forever if that were the case. However, while we cannot grow new limbs, our bodies still react in pretty miraculous ways when they have experienced injuries. For example, skeletal muscle has the amazing ability to regenerate itself after injury. Typically, when a heart muscle is injured, it doesn’t grow back. Yet, a new study has revealed that cardiac muscle may actually regenerate itself after heart failure in a subset of patients with artificial hearts!
The Study
In the study, the tissue of patients with artificial hearts was analyzed to determine their regenerative capabilities. They discovered that a subset of these patients experienced muscle cell regeneration at more than six times the rate than those with healthy hearts. The research team was co-led by a scientist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Hesham Sadek.
Why This Finding on Heart Failure Is Important
Heart failure is a serious issue in the United States. In fact, it affects around 7 million American adults and is responsible for around 14% of deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While there are medications that can certainly slow down the progression, there is, as yet, no cure for heart failure. This means that other than a heart transplant, the only available treatment for advanced heart failure is pump replacement using an artificial heart. This device, known as a left ventricular assist device, helps the heart pump blood.
Strong Evidence for Cardiac Tissue Regeneration
According to Hesham Sadek, “This is the strongest evidence we have, so far, that human heart muscle cells can actually regenerate, which really is exciting because it solidifies the notion that there is an intrinsic capacity of the human heart to regenerate”. This also adds support to the hypothesis that the heart loses its ability to regenerate soon after birth because of the heart muscle’s inability to “rest”. The team feels that it may actually be possible to target the specific molecular pathways responsible for cell division to amplify the ability of the heart to regenerate.
Significance of the Study’s Findings
Hesham Sadek further added that this was the very first study to offer direct evidence of human cardiac muscle regeneration. Typically, severe heart attacks, such as the “widow maker”, are caused by a blockage of one of the biggest arteries in the heart. “If you survive it, you can lose up to 40% of your heart muscle cells in one event. When you lose so much heart muscle, the remaining muscle is under a lot more stress, and the heart gets progressively weaker over time”, stated Sadek.
Building on Older Studies
This is not the first time that Dr, Sadek has tackled this specific issue. In fact, he considers finding more effective ways of treating heart failure to be his top priority. This new study builds upon several prior studies that Dr. Sadek led regarding rest and the regeneration of heart muscle. He had published prior studies in 2011 and 2014. The 2011 study was published in Science and revealed that heart muscle cells actively divide while in utero. However, after birth, they stopped dividing to focus all their energy on continuously pumping blood through the body. This process leaves no time for the rest required for regeneration. The 2014 study revealed that they had found cell division in those patients who had artificial hearts. This pointed to the possibility that their heart muscle cells were regenerating.
The Power of Rest
These findings inspired them to ask if an artificial heart provides cardiac muscles the same amount of bed rest in an athlete recovering from an injury. “The pump pushes blood into the aorta, bypassing the heart – the heart is essentially resting”, remarked Dr. Sadek. Their previous studies had hinted that this rest may be beneficial for the cardiac muscle cells. However, he first needed to create an experiment to find out whether those who had artificial hearts were really regeneration muscle cells. Hence, why he designed this particular study.
The Bottom Line on Heart Failure and Cell Regeneration
This ground-breaking study provides hope for improving heart failure treatments by demonstrating the heart’s inactive regeneration capabilities. These findings indicate that artifical hearts supply the rest required for cardiac muscle cells to recover, a discovery that has the potential to alter approaches to heart health. With heart failure affecting millions of people, the ability to harness and magnify this natural repair process could open the way for new treatments. Building on previous studies, this work not only demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human body, but it also takes us closer to addressing one of the most serious health issues.