Revisiting Cardiac Regeneration: The Role of Remote Heart Regions After MI

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and surviving patients are at high risk of developing heart failure due to the heart’s limited regenerative capacity (Martin S et al., 2025). Most research on heart injury after MI focuses on the part of the heart directly damaged. Therapies under investigation include transplantation of pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes, delivery of growth factors such as neuregulin-1 or IGF-1/HGF, introduction of microRNAs and transcription factors to stimulate cardiomyocyte proliferation, and modulation of cell cycle regulators to promote regeneration within the infarcted tissue (Liu YW et al., 2018; Bersell K et al., 2009; Heallen T et al., 2011; Mohamed T et al., 2018). However, remote regions of the heart, such as the endocardium distant from the injury site, also respond to injury but remain comparatively understudied.