Abstract P004: Cardiac Regeneration in Neonatal Mice Following Ischemic Injury

As a consequence of the adult mammalian heart's limited regenerative capacity, ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed world. We have recently identified a brief window during post-natal development when the mammalian heart retains significant cardiac regenerative potential. Similar to adult zebrafish, the 1 day-old neonatal mouse heart is capable of complete cardiac regeneration following amputation of the entire ventricular apex. One major unresolved question is whether the neonatal mouse heart can also regenerate in response to myocardial ischemia. Here, we demonstrate that the neonatal mouse heart is also capable of undergoing a cardiac regenerative response to replace lost cardiomyocytes following myocardial ischemia. Following permanent ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery of 1 day-old neonatal mice, we documented evidence of significant cardiac injury and myocyte death by histology and echocardiography at 1 and 4 days after L...