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Human cardiac progenitor cells (hCPCs) may promote myocardial regeneration in adult ischemic myocardium. The regenerative capacity of hCPCs in young patients with nonischemic congenital heart defects for potential use in congenital heart defect repair warrants exploration.

Human right atrial specimens were obtained during routine congenital cardiac surgery across 3 groups: neonates (age, <30 days), infants (age, 1 month to 2 years), and children (age, >2 to ≤13 years). C-kit⁺ hCPCs were 3-fold higher in neonates than in children >2 years of age. hCPC proliferation was greatest during the neonatal period as evidenced by c-kit⁺ Ki67⁺ expression but decreased with age. hCPC differentiation capacity was also greatest in neonatal right atrium as evidenced by c-kit⁺, NKX2–5⁺, NOTCH1⁺, and NUMB⁺ expression. Despite the age-dependent decline in resident hCPCs, we …