Nicanor I. Moldovan, assistant professor at Ohio State's new Heart and Lung Institute and Biomedical Engineering Center, said he and his colleagues' most recent work is a step forward to reach that goal. The scientists reported their initial progress in a recent issue of the journal Circulation Research. Moldovan explained that during a heart attack, blockage in coronary arteries leaves a portion of the victim's heart tissue without oxygen, a condition called ischemia. In his early work, Moldovan discovered that in a mouse model of cardiac ischemia, blood-derived cells called monocytes penetrate this damaged heart tissue, leaving behind a network of tunnels in the tissue. Monocytes, the largest blood cells, normally circulate through the body to capture and ingest infectious agents such as bacteria.
Monocytes also penetrate enflamed body tissue to help defend against infections.
For this Circulation Research study, scientists tested the hypothesis that new blood vessels may grow in tunnels created by monocytes. They took mouse hearts containing monocyte-caused tunnels and transplanted them into healthy mice. The findings point the way to a possible new therapy for heart attack victims that will help them regenerate blood vessels and keep damaged tissue alive, Moldovan said. He did admit, however, that this project is in its infancy. He and his colleagues will have to overcome many obstacles to find a practical way to grow functioning blood vessels, based on this new principle, he said.