Dueñas Angel, Aranega Amelia E, Franco Diego
Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle Research Group, Department of Experimental Biology, University of JaénJaén, Spain.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2017 May 1;5:44. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2017.00044. eCollection 2017.
The adult pumping heart is formed by distinct tissue layers. From inside to outside, the heart is composed by an internal endothelial layer, dubbed the endocardium, a thick myocardial component which supports the pumping capacity of the heart and exteriorly covered by a thin mesothelial layer named the epicardium. Cardiac insults such as coronary artery obstruction lead to ischemia and thus to an irreversible damage of the myocardial layer, provoking in many cases heart failure and death. Thus, searching for new pathways to regenerate the myocardium is an urgent biomedical need. Interestingly, the capacity of heart regeneration is present in other species, ranging from fishes to neonatal mammals. In this context, several lines of evidences demonstrated a key regulatory role for the epicardial layer. In this manuscript, we provide a state-of-the-art review on the developmental process leading to the formation of the epicardium, the distinct pathways controlling epicardial precursor cell specification and determination and current evidences on the regenerative potential of the epicardium to heal the injured heart.
成年的搏动心脏由不同的组织层构成。从内到外，心脏由一层内部的内皮细胞层（称为心内膜）、一层厚厚的心肌组织（支持心脏的泵血能力）以及外部一层薄薄的间皮细胞层（称为心外膜）组成。诸如冠状动脉阻塞等心脏损伤会导致局部缺血，进而导致心肌层的不可逆损伤，在许多情况下会引发心力衰竭和死亡。因此，寻找心肌再生的新途径是一项紧迫的生物医学需求。有趣的是，从鱼类到新生哺乳动物等其他物种都具有心脏再生能力。在这种背景下，多项证据表明心外膜层具有关键的调节作用。在本手稿中，我们对导致心外膜形成的发育过程、控制心外膜前体细胞特化和决定的不同途径以及心外膜修复受损心脏的再生潜力的当前证据进行了最新综述。
