Mid- to long-term efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy for acute myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Stem cell research & therapy Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 290 - 26
• Main Authors: Lee, Hyeongsuk, Cho, Hyun-Jai, Han, Yeonjung, Lee, Seon Heui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 11.09.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acute myocardial infarction; Cardiac patients; Care and treatment; Cell therapy; Health aspects; Heart; Humans; Myocardial Infarction - therapy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Review; Stem Cell Transplantation - methods; Stem cells; Stroke Volume; Systematic review; Transplantation; Treatment Outcome; Ventricular Function, Left - physiology; Acute myocardial infarction; Systematic review; Cell therapy
• ISSN: 1757-6512; 1757-6512
• DOI: 10.1186/s13287-024-03891-1

This comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the mid- to long-term efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The study encompassed 79 randomized controlled trials with 7103 patients, rendering it the most up-to-date and extensive analysis in this field. This study specifically focused on the impact of stem cell therapy on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), major adverse cardiac events (MACE), and infarct size. Stem cell therapy significantly improved LVEF at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months post-transplantation compared to control values, indicating its potential for long-term cardiac function enhancement. A trend toward reduced MACE occurrence was observed in the intervention groups, suggesting the potential of stem cell therapy to lower the risk of cardiovascular death, reinfarction, and stroke. Significant LVEF improvements were associated with long cell culture durations exceeding 1 week, particularly when combined with high injected cell quantities (at least 10  cells). No significant reduction in infarct size was observed. This review highlights the potential of stem cell therapy as a promising therapeutic approach for patients with AMI, offering sustained LVEF improvement and a potential reduction in MACE risk. However, further research is required to optimize cell culture techniques, determine the optimal timing and dosage, and investigate procedural variations to maximize the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy in this context.