Very Small Embryonic-Like (VSEL) stem cells are a proposed pluripotent population, residing in adult tissues. VSELs have been described in multiple tissues including bone marrow, cord blood, and gonads. They exhibit multiple characteristics of embryonic stem cells including the ability to differentiate into cellular lineages of all three germ layers, including cardiomyocytes and vascular endothelial cells. However, their presence in adult solid organs such as heart in humans has not been established. VSELs are valuable source of stem cells for tissue regeneration and replacement of cells for turnover and usual wear-and-tear. The purpose of our study was to explore the existence of human VSELs (huVSELs) in human heart tissue and examine the changes in their prevalence with aging and cardiac disease. Human heart tissue, collected from healthy and ischemic heart disease subjects was examined for the prevalence of VSELS, defined as CD45-/CD133+/SSEA4+. Both epicardial and endocardial tissues were examined comparing VSEL numbers across different age groups. Our data confirm the existence of huVSELs in adult hearts with decreasing prevalence during aging. This is the first evidence of huVSELs in adult cardiac tissue. Cardiac huVSELs could be further explored in future studies to characterize their primitive potential and therapeutic potential in regenerative studies.

中文翻译：

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年轻人和老年人中人心脏组织中人类非常小的胚胎样干细胞（VSELS）的鉴定。

非常小的类胚胎干细胞（VSEL）是拟议的多能种群，位于成体组织中。在包括骨髓，脐带血和性腺在内的多种组织中已经描述了VSEL。它们表现出胚胎干细胞的多种特征，包括分化为所有三个胚层的细胞谱系的能力，包括心肌细胞和血管内皮细胞。但是，它们在成人心脏等成人实体器官中的存在尚未确定。VSEL​​是用于组织再生的干细胞的宝贵来源，以及用于周转和常见磨损的细胞置换。我们研究的目的是探讨人类心脏组织中人类VSEL（huVSEL）的存在，并研究其随年龄和心脏病的患病率变化。人体心脏组织 从健康和缺血性心脏病受试者中收集的VSELS的患病率进行了检查，其定义为CD45- / CD133 + / SSEA4 +。检查了心外膜和心内膜组织，比较了不同年龄组的VSEL数量。我们的数据证实了成年人心脏中存在huVSEL，并且在衰老过程中患病率降低。这是成人心脏组织中huVSEL的第一个证据。可以在未来的研究中进一步探索心脏huVSEL，以表征其在再生研究中的原始潜力和治疗潜力。我们的数据证实了成年人心脏中存在huVSEL，并且在衰老过程中患病率降低。这是成人心脏组织中huVSEL的第一个证据。可以在未来的研究中进一步探索心脏huVSEL，以表征其在再生研究中的原始潜力和治疗潜力。我们的数据证实了成年人心脏中存在huVSEL，并且在衰老过程中患病率降低。这是成人心脏组织中huVSEL的第一个证据。可以在未来的研究中进一步探索心脏huVSEL，以表征其在再生研究中的原始潜力和治疗潜力。