Unchain my heart: the scientific foundations of cardiac repair
J. Clin. Invest. Stefanie Dimmeler, et al. 115:572 doi:10.1172/JCI24283 [Go to this article.]

Figure 2
Mechanisms of action. Progenitor cells may improve functional recovery of infarcted or failing myocardium by various potential mechanisms, including direct or indirect improvement of neovascularization. Paracrine factors released by progenitor cells may inhibit cardiac apoptosis, affect remodeling, or enhance endogenous repair (e.g., by tissue-resident progenitor cells). Differentiation into cardiomyocytes may contribute to cardiac regeneration. The extent to which these different mechanisms are active may critically depend on the cell type and setting, such as acute or chronic injury.