Potential Applications of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Cardiovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of human beings which has long become the disease with the highest incidence and disability rate in modern society. Currently induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), with the potential to form fresh myocardium and better safety than other stem cells, are widely used in the CVD therapy studies. Moreover, iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs), as a novel disease model, appear to play an important role in new drug screening, drug safety assessment, and pathological mechanisms of disease. Based on rigorous molecular and functional characterization, the accuracy of experimental researches is guaranteed and thus underlying pathogenesis for the treatment of CVDs by iPSCs were published, such as enrichment of paracrine factors, regulation of miRNAs, mechanical support of new tissues, activation of specific pathways and specific enzymes, etc. In addition, a few chemical small molecules and suitable biological scaffolds remained contributors in improving the efficiency of iPSC transplantation. This article reviews the development courses and limitations of iPSCs in CVD therapy, and summarizes in category the latest research achievements from iPSCs.