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Heart Regeneration Research Paper

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ecently, siRNA technology opened a new avenue for effective manipulation of regenerative pathways involved in heart tissue including cell cycle and inflammatory reactions. One of the major factors that should be considered for delivering siRNA to heart tissue is the type of delivery vehicle. To date, many delivery systems such as viral vectors, lipid carriers or polymeric nanoparticles are used for siRNA delivery to heart [147]. Each of these vehicles have their own advantages and disadvantages that affect the efficacy of siRNA delivery and consequently the heart regeneration process. For example, Eulalio et al. have shown that siRNA administration by viral vector can significantly increase the cardiac function and eliminate the infarcted zone in the injured heart without fibrosis induction. …show more content…

Meis1 is a key regulatory protein for cardiac differentiation during embryonic development and using siRNA against Mesi1 can increase the proliferation of cardiomyocytes about threefold [145]. Additionally, siRNA administration against PLB, a key regulator of cardiac Ca2+ homeostasis, can improve cardiac function in heart failure. It was suggested from this study that down-regulation of PLB can enhance the activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump (SERCA2a) and therefore can improve the cardiac function [149-151]. Another strategy for heart regeneration is targeting the inflammatory reactions in infarcted area of myocardium. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the key factors in inflammatory reactions and provoking heart regeneration (i.e. cardiomyocytes apoptosis, fibroblast proliferation and myocyte hypertrophy). NADPH (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase is a major source for superoxide production in infarcted myocardium that contains a catalytic subunit, Nox2

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