英国剑桥大学Sanjay Sinha和美国华盛顿大学Charles E. Murry研究小组近日取得一项新成果。他们发现来自人类胚胎干细胞的心外膜细胞，增强心肌细胞驱动的心脏再生。 这一研究成果于2019年8月发表在国际学术期刊《自然—生物技术》上。

课题组测试了人类胚胎干细胞(hESC)衍生心外膜在体外增加工程心脏组织的结构和功能能力，以及提高hESC心肌细胞移植在梗死无胸腺大鼠心脏的效率。心外膜细胞显著增强人类工程心脏组织的收缩性、肌原纤维结构和钙调控，同时与间充质基质细胞相比，还能够减少被动刚度。梗塞心脏内，移植的心外膜移植细胞形成持久的纤维母细胞移植。共移植hESC衍生心外膜细胞和心肌细胞，能够使得体内移植心肌细胞的增殖率增加一倍，形成2.6倍大的心脏移植尺寸，同时增加移植物和宿主的血管形成。值得注意的是，与心脏单独接受心肌细胞，心外膜细胞或空白对照组相比，共移植提高了收缩功能。心外膜细胞能够增强心脏移植大小和功能，使得心外膜细胞成为心脏修复中的有效辅助治疗。

据了解，心外膜及其衍生物为发育中的心脏和成人心脏提供营养和结构支持。

附：英文原文

Title: Epicardial cells derived from human embryonic stem cells augment cardiomyocyte-driven heart regeneration

Author: Johannes Bargehr, Lay Ping Ong, Maria Colzani, Hongorzul Davaapil, Peter Hofsteen, Shiv Bhandari, Laure Gambardella, Nicolas Le Novre, Dharini Iyer, Fotios Sampaziotis, Florian Weinberger, Alessandro Bertero, Andrea Leonard, William G. Bernard, Amy Martinson, Nichola Figg, Michael Regnier, Martin R. Bennett, Charles E. Murry, Sanjay Sinha

Issue&Volume: Volume 37，Issue8

Abstract: The epicardium and its derivatives provide trophic and structural support for the developing and adult heart. Here we tested the ability of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived epicardium to augment the structure and function of engineered heart tissue in vitro and to improve efficacy of hESC-cardiomyocyte grafts in infarcted athymic rat hearts. Epicardial cells markedly enhanced the contractility, myofibril structure and calcium handling of human engineered heart tissues, while reducing passive stiffness compared with mesenchymal stromal cells. Transplanted epicardial cells formed persistent fibroblast grafts in infarcted hearts. Cotransplantation of hESC-derived epicardial cells and cardiomyocytes doubled graft cardiomyocyte proliferation rates in vivo, resulting in 2.6-fold greater cardiac graft size and simultaneously augmenting graft and host vascularization. Notably, cotransplantation improved systolic function compared with hearts receiving either cardiomyocytes alone, epicardial cells alone or vehicle. The ability of epicardial cells to enhance cardiac graft size and function makes them a promising adjuvant therapeutic for cardiac repair.

DOI: 10.1038/s41587-019-0197-9

Source:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-019-0197-9