Cardiac Atrial Appendage Stem Cells Embedded in Elastin-like Recombinamer Hydrogel for Cardiac Repair After Acute MI: A Pilot Study
5 affiliations
- 1Cardio & Organ Systems (COST), Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED), Hasselt University, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- 2BIOFORGE (Group for Advanced Materials and Nanobiotechnology), University of Valladolid—CIBER-BBN-LADIS, Edificio Lucía, Paseo de Belén 19, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
- 3Advanced Optical Microscopy Centre, Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- 4Limburg Clinical Research Center (LCRC), Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- 5Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED), Hasselt University, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI) causes extensive cardiomyocyte loss and adverse remodeling, frequently progressing to heart failure. Although stem cell-based therapies are being investigated for cardiac repair, clinical outcomes remain modest. Cardiac atrial appendage stem cells (CASCs) harbor cardiomyogenic potential, making them promising candidates for cardiac regeneration. This proof-of-concept pilot study investigates the feasibility and preliminary therapeutic potential of delivering CASCs within an elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) hydrogel scaffold following MI. MI was induced in rats by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Immediately after occlusion, CASCs (MI+C), ELR hydrogel (MI+H), or CASCs embedded in ELR hydrogel (MI+C+H) were injected intramyocardially into the peri-infarct region. MI and SHAM-operated animals served as controls. Four weeks post-MI, echocardiography showed a large, non-significant left ventricular ejection fraction improvement in MI+C+H versus MI, with a trend toward reduced end-diastolic volume. MI+C+H significantly improved anterior wall thickness versus MI+H, with favorable trends for MI+C. Wall motion score index showed a similar large, non-significant effect. Transcriptomics suggested the MI+C+H molecular profile reflected complementary contributions of both monotherapies rather than distinct synergistic mechanisms. These preliminary findings support ELR-mediated CASC delivery and suggest potential benefits for preserving cardiac function and limiting adverse remodeling, warranting confirmation in adequately powered studies.
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BibTeX
@article{heeren2026cardiac,
title = {{Cardiac Atrial Appendage Stem Cells Embedded in Elastin-like Recombinamer Hydrogel for Cardiac Repair After Acute MI: A Pilot Study}},
author = {Ellen Heeren and Lotte Vastmans and Dorien Deluyker and Anouk Delaet and Lisa Steegen and Vincent Vandenboer and Ignace Van der Wee and María Puertas Bartolomé and Sam Duwé and Sebastiaan Dhont and Pieter-Jan Volders and Alessio Cardilli and José Carlos Rodríguez-Cabello and Annelies Bronckaers and Marc Hendrikx and Virginie Bito},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219563},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9563},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Cardiac Atrial Appendage Stem Cells Embedded in Elastin-like Recombinamer Hydrogel for Cardiac Repair After Acute MI: A Pilot Study
AU - Ellen Heeren
AU - Lotte Vastmans
AU - Dorien Deluyker
AU - Anouk Delaet
AU - Lisa Steegen
AU - Vincent Vandenboer
AU - Ignace Van der Wee
AU - María Puertas Bartolomé
AU - Sam Duwé
AU - Sebastiaan Dhont
AU - Pieter-Jan Volders
AU - Alessio Cardilli
AU - José Carlos Rodríguez-Cabello
AU - Annelies Bronckaers
AU - Marc Hendrikx
AU - Virginie Bito
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219563
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9563
AB - Myocardial infarction (MI) causes extensive cardiomyocyte loss and adverse remodeling, frequently progressing to heart failure. Although stem cell-based therapies are being investigated for cardiac repair, clinical outcomes remain modest. Cardiac atrial appendage stem cells (CASCs) harbor cardiomyogenic potential, making them promising candidates for cardiac regeneration. This proof-of-concept pilot study investigates the feasibility and preliminary therapeutic potential of delivering CASCs within an elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) hydrogel scaffold following MI. MI was induced in rats by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Immediately after occlusion, CASCs (MI+C), ELR hydrogel (MI+H), or CASCs embedded in ELR hydrogel (MI+C+H) were injected intramyocardially into the peri-infarct region. MI and SHAM-operated animals served as controls. Four weeks post-MI, echocardiography showed a large, non-significant left ventricular ejection fraction improvement in MI+C+H versus MI, with a trend toward reduced end-diastolic volume. MI+C+H significantly improved anterior wall thickness versus MI+H, with favorable trends for MI+C. Wall motion score index showed a similar large, non-significant effect. Transcriptomics suggested the MI+C+H molecular profile reflected complementary contributions of both monotherapies rather than distinct synergistic mechanisms. These preliminary findings support ELR-mediated CASC delivery and suggest potential benefits for preserving cardiac function and limiting adverse remodeling, warranting confirmation in adequately powered studies.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -