Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Cardiovascular Disease: A Bench to Bedside Roadmap

Figure 1

Main MSC actions on injured myocardium. Mesenchymal progenitors transplanted onto the ischemic myocardium are able to secrete a plethora of therapeutic molecules (paracrine activity) and even to differentiate towards (cardio-) vascular lineages, encouraging the healing of the damaged tissue, avoiding its transition to a scarred muscle, and regenerating the heart tissue mainly at the vascular level. Abbreviations: IGF-1: insulin-like growth factor-1; SDF-1: stromal derived factor-1; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; HGF: hepatocyte growth factor; MMP: matrix metalloproteinase; LV: left ventricle.