J Clin Invest. 2014 Mar;124(3):961-4. doi: 10.1172/JCI74418. Epub 2014 Feb 24.
Damage to the adult mammalian heart is irreversible, and lost cells are not replaced through regeneration. In neonatal mice, prior to P7, heart tissue can be regenerated after injury; however, the factors that facilitate cardiac regeneration in the neonatal heart are not known. In this issue of the JCI, Aurora and colleagues evaluated the immune response following myocardial infarction in P1 mice compared with that in P14 mice, which have lost their regenerative capacity, and identified a population of macrophages as mediators of cardiac repair. Further understanding of the immune modulators that promote the regenerative properties of this macrophage subset could potentially be exploited to recapitulate regenerative function in the adult heart.
成年哺乳动物的心脏损伤是不可逆的，且损失的细胞不会通过再生来替代。在新生小鼠中，在 P7 之前，心脏组织在受伤后可以再生；然而，促进新生心脏再生的因素尚不清楚。在本期 JCI 中，Aurora 及其同事评估了 P1 小鼠心肌梗死后的免疫反应与失去再生能力的 P14 小鼠相比的情况，并发现巨噬细胞群是心脏修复的介质。进一步了解促进这种巨噬细胞亚群再生特性的免疫调节剂，可能有助于在成年心脏中重现再生功能。
