Stem cell for repair of damaged cardiac tissue is an attractive option to improve the health of the growing number of heart failure patients. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess unique properties that may make them a better option for cardiac repair than other cell types. Unlike other adult stem cells, they appear to escape allorecognition by the immune system and they have immune-modulating properties, thus making it possible to consider them for use as an allogeneic cell product. There is a large and growing body of preclinical and early clinical experience with MSC that shows great promise in realizing the potential of stem cell to effect repair of damaged cardiac tissue. This review discusses the mechanism of action of MSC and summarizes the current literature in the field.

URL: http://link.springer.com/protocol/10.1007%2F978-1-60761-705-1_5