Myocardial tissue repair

Myocardial tissue repair refers to the complex biological processes involved in restoring the integrity and function of the heart muscle following injury, most commonly after a myocardial infarction (MI). In adult humans, the heart possesses a very limited intrinsic regenerative capacity, typically responding to damage through a wound-healing process that results in permanent, non-contractile fibrotic scarring rather than functional muscle replacement [PMID: 25023144]. This process involves an initial inflammatory phase, a proliferative phase characterized by fibroblast activation and angiogenesis, and a maturation phase where the extracellular matrix is remodeled [PMID: 24561462]. Therapeutic strategies in this field aim to shift the balance from scarring toward true regeneration by stimulating endogenous cardiomyocyte proliferation or utilizing exogenous cell-based and gene therapies [PMID: 30135558]. Key molecular pathways regulating this repair include the Hippo-YAP, Wnt, and Notch signaling pathways, as well as various growth factor cascades [PMID: 28249162]. Because Myocardial tissue repair describes a multi-faceted physiological outcome rather than a single protein, enzyme, or receptor, it is classified as a therapeutic goal or biological process rather than a discrete molecular drug target.

Other names

Cardiac regenerationMyocardial regenerationHeart tissue repairCardiac wound healing

Stimulation of endogenous repair mechanisms, promotion of angiogenesis, and modulation of the inflammatory response to reduce fibrotic scarring and restore contractile function.