Turning Back the Cardiac Regenerative Clock: Lessons From the Neonate

Abstract

The adult mammalian heart has an extremely limited capacity for regeneration. As a consequence, ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the developed world, and the heart continues to be a major focal point for regenerative medicine. Understanding innate mechanisms of heart regeneration is important and may provide a blueprint for clinical translation. For example, urodele amphibians and teleost fish can mount an endogenous regenerative response following multiple forms of cardiac injury, and this regenerative response appears to be mediated through proliferation of pre-existing cardiomyocytes. How and why mammals have lost the capacity for heart regeneration since the d..