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Some fish and amphibians, like the zebra fish, are capable of regenerating a damaged heart with no scar formation.
However, this phenomenon has never been seen in a mammal before.
Researchers from University of Texas have found that the heart of a newborn mammal can fully heal itself.
Dr. Hesham Sadek, a cardiologist working at this medical center, along with his colleagues have been working with mice. They removed a portion of the heart (about 15%) of the mice during his first week of life, and the heart grew back completely.
Within three weeks, the tissue grew back and the hearts were healed.
Dr. Sadek says, "...but by seven days this remarkable regenerative is lost and instead of regrowing that tissue back, there is heart failure. In humans, it may be a few months after birth that this is lost."
The newborn mice's cardiomyocytes (uninjured beating heart cells) could be the source of new cells. Another possibility is stem cells.
The study offers hope that someday, doctors will be able to cure heart disease. If newborn babies are also able to regenerate their hearts, there may be a way to regenerate the hearts of adults.
Dr. Sadek adds that, "We're looking at a few genes that could regulate this process, and then we can look for drugs that activate the genes. Maybe we can remind the heart how to do this."
CITATIONS -
Article - Bhanoo, Sindya. "Newborn Mice's Hearts Can Heal Themselves, Study Finds." New
York Times 25 Feb. 2011: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.
Photo - It's the photo on the article
