Cell Physiol Biochem 2019;53:101-120 DOI: 10.33594/000000124 Published online: 20 June 2019 101 Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Cell Physiol Biochem Press GmbH&Co. KG Mardanpour et al.: Stem Cell Technologies in Regeneration of Injured Myocardium Application of Stem Cell Technologies to Regenerate Injured Myocardium and Improve Cardiac Function Parisa Mardanpour a,b,c Karim Nayernia b,c Saeed Khodayari c,d Hamid Khodayari c,d Marek Molcanyi a Jürgen Hescheler a,b a Institute of Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, b International Stem Cell Academy, Cologne/Düsseldorf, Germany, c International Center for Personalized Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany, d Cancer Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Key Words Stem Cell Technologies • Spermatogonial Stem Cells • Injured Myocardium Abstract In the recent decades, cardiovascular diseases emerged as the major leading cause of human mortality. However, current clinical approaches still do not encompass a thorough therapeutic solution for improving heart function of the patients who sufered an extensive myocardial injury. Based on this status quo, stem cells could become a novel option, as a natural source of the new myocardium lineage cells, being capable of paracrine factors secretion, protection or even regeneration of the damaged heart muscle. Efcient stem cell-based therapy of the heart should lead to repair or/and replacement of the degenerated tissue with functional myocardial and endothelial cells. Hereon, various types of pluripotent and multipotent stem cells have been already studied in the pre-clinical and clinical settings, demonstrating their cardiomyogenic and regenerative potential. In this context, as a type of male adult stem/ progenitors, spermatogonial stem cells feature a remarkable ability for a formation of cardiovascular lineages, based on our own observations. Presented data supports the presumption, that spermatogonial stem cells not only have a suitable capacity to generate functional heart cells but can also potentially improve the function of an injured myocardium. In this review article, we frst describe the essential molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the heart tissue injury. Afterwards, based on our ongoing study, we review the impact of the stem cell technologies on the regeneration therapy in cardiovascular and myocardial diseases. Particular emphasis is being put on the usability of spermatogonial stem cells in cardiac therapy. Review Accepted: 18 June 2019 This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Interna- tional License (CC BY-NC-ND). Usage and distribution for commercial purposes as well as any distribution of modifed material requires written permission. DOI: 10.33594/000000124 Published online: 20 June 2019 © 2019 The Author(s) Published by Cell Physiol Biochem Press GmbH&Co. KG, Duesseldorf www.cellphysiolbiochem.com © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Cell Physiol Biochem Press GmbH&Co. KG Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Hescheler and Dr. med. Marek Molcanyi, PhD Institute of Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch Str. 39, 50931 Cologne (Germany), Tel. +49 221 478 6960; +49 221 478 6978 E-Mail J.Hescheler@uni-koeln.de; molcanyi77@yahoo.com