Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
Volume 18, Issue 6 , Pages 205-210, August 2008

Embryonic Endothelial Progenitor Cell-Mediated Cardioprotection requires Thymosin β4

  • Christian Kupatt

      Affiliations

    • Medizinische Klinik I, Klinikum Groβhadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 81377 Munich, Germany
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to: Christian Kupatt, MD, Medizinische Klinik I, Klinikum Groβhadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
    • ,
  • Ildiko Bock-Marquette

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, 2Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas 75390-9148, USA
    • ,
  • Peter Boekstegers

      Affiliations

    • Medizinische Klinik I, Klinikum Groβhadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 81377 Munich, Germany

Myocardial damage is frequently occurring upon a prolonged period of ischemia, although subsequent reperfusion as standard therapy is established. Among the pleiotropic causes of ischema-reperfusion injury, loss of cardiomyocytes, microcirculatory disturbances, and postischemic inflammation have been frequently observed. Current clinical cell therapy after acute myocardial mostly aims at neovascularization and enhancement of tissue repair, whereas acute cardioprotection after ischemia and reperfusion has rarely been studied. Recently, embryonic endothelial progenitor cells (eEPCs) have been found to provide cardioprotection against acute ischemia-reperfusion injury (24 hours) in a preclinical pig model. The paracrine effect of eEPCs was mimicked by regional application of a single, highly expressed protein, Thymosin β4. This review focuses on underlying mechanisms of acute cardioprotection provided by eEPCs and, in particular, Thymosin β4.

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PII: S1050-1738(08)00123-0

doi:10.1016/j.tcm.2008.10.002

Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
Volume 18, Issue 6 , Pages 205-210, August 2008

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