Over the years, diverse therapeutic protocols have been employed for cardiac tissue engineering (CTE) and improvement of the heart functions. Among them are stem cells which possess a high tissue-regeneration potential. However, the optimum delivery protocol with effective cell retention and homing at the target site is still challenging. Hence, a wide range of natural and synthetic biomaterials have been utilized as cell delivery cargoes to address these limitations. Natural decellularized biomaterials could provide successful biocompatible, biodegradable, elastic, and strong platforms that avoid the drawbacks of synthetic ones. Hence, in the present study, we have prepared a decellularized porcine pericardium (DPP) patch to provide successful tailored cell discharge, retention, and homing at the site of the myocardial infarction (MI) with an outstanding ability to restore the damaged heart activity. Moreover, we have provided for the first time a novel echocardiographic-derived imaging modality called the intraventricular pressure gradient (IVPG) to evaluate the process. The IVPG provides a precise, non-invasive, and facile tool to assess cardiac functions. This speeds up the accumulation of knowledge and opens new avenues to objectively evaluate diagnosis and treatment, which encourages the implementation of such a cutting-edge strategy in clinical practices in the near future. |
