The silent progression of cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) often strikes without warning, but in reality, it builds up silently for years through inflammation, vessel dysfunction, and gradual vascular damage. Most treatments today begin only after a heart attack, stroke, or other critical event has occurred.
At Cellcolabs Clinical, we explore how mesenchymal stem cells may support prevention of cardiovascular disease by reducing inflammation and protecting blood vessels.
What is cardiovascular disease?
CVD is a group of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels, including coronary artery disease, heart attack (myocardial infarction), stroke, arrhythmias, and heart failure. It is the world’s leading cause of death, responsible for an estimated 20 million deaths each year, as reported by the World Heart Federation.2
While the onset may feel sudden to patients, the underlying processes — inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis, and rising blood pressure — often go unnoticed until a major event occurs.3
Mesenchymal stem cells as a potential pathway in preventive medicine
Preventive medicine refers to interventions that aim to protect health before major disease events occur.1 In CVD, this means intervening before the first heart attack or stroke — not only after.
Most current treatments are reactive, introduced only once a patient has experienced a serious event. They typically involve medications, surgeries, and rehabilitation. By contrast, options to intervene earlier remain limited, often focused on lifestyle changes or routine monitoring rather than medical intervention.
Mesenchymal stem cells are being investigated for their potential to act earlier in the disease process — reducing low-grade inflammation, supporting vascular function, and protecting heart tissue before irreversible damage occurs. Their regenerative, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory properties make them a promising area of research in the search for new preventive strategies. Even those who live healthily are not exempt from risk, as aging itself brings chronic, low-grade inflammation and a declining capacity for regeneration, both of which increase vulnerability to cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.4
How could mesenchymal stem cells help prevent CVD?
Mesenchymal stem cells are among the most studied cell types in regenerative medicine. Pre-clinical and clinical research has shown that they can:
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Migrate to inflamed or damaged tissue 6–7
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Modulate immune responses, reducing harmful inflammation 5
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Protect and repair injured cells 6–7
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Support formation of new blood vessels 6–7
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Improve endothelial function 8
By targeting these processes, the stem cells could help maintain vascular health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events before they occur.
What does current clinical research indicate
Early clinical research is beginning to provide evidence on the potential role of mesenchymal stem cells in cardiovascular prevention.
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Large clinical trial (2023): In a study of more than 500 patients with heart failure, Mesenchymal stem cells were injected directly into the heart muscle. Over a 30-month follow-up, patients treated with mesenchymal stem cells experienced a reduced incidence of heart attack and stroke, particularly those with systemic inflammation.9
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Functional outcomes: The same trial reported improved cardiac performance, measured by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), in patients who received mesenchymal stem cells compared with the control group.9
Taken together, these results indicate that mesenchymal stem cells may affect cardiovascular outcomes by reducing inflammation and supporting repair at both the local (heart muscle) and systemic levels.
Are mesenchymal stem cells safe?
Safety has been a key area of study. A 2021 meta-analysis of 62 randomized clinical trials concluded that mesenchymal stem cell therapy was safe compared with placebo, with no treatment-related serious adverse events reported.10
1. Clarke EA. What is Preventive Medicine? Can Fam Physician. 1974 Nov;20(11):65-8. PMID: 20469128; PMCID: PMC2274388.
2. World Heart Federation, World Heart report 2023 World-Heart-Report-2023.pdf (world-heart-federation.org)
3. Buja, L. Maximilian, and Jagdish Butany, eds. Cardiovascular pathology. Academic Press, 2022.
4. Ferrucci L, Fabbri E. Inflammageing: chronic inflammation in ageing, cardiovascular disease, and frailty. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2018 Sep;15(9):505-522. doi: 10.1038/s41569-018-0064-2. PMID: 30065258; PMCID: PMC6146930.
5. Krampera M, Le Blanc K. Mesenchymal stromal cells: Putative microenvironmental modulators become cell therapy. Cell Stem Cell. 2021 Oct 7;28(10):1708-1725. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.09.006. PMID: 34624232.
6. Caplan AI, Correa D. The MSC: an injury drugstore. Cell Stem Cell. 2011 Jul 8;9(1):11-5. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2011.06.008. PMID: 21726829; PMCID: PMC3144500.
7. Murphy MB, Moncivais K, Caplan AI. Mesenchymal stem cells: environmentally responsive therapeutics for regenerative medicine. Exp Mol Med. 2013 Nov 15;45(11):e54. doi: 10.1038/emm.2013.94. PMID: 24232253; PMCID: PMC3849579.
8. Hare JM, DiFede DL, Heldman AW et al. Randomized Comparison of Allogeneic Versus Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: POSEIDON-DCM Trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017 Feb 7;69(5):526-537. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2016.11.009. Epub 2016 Nov 14. PMID: 27856208; PMCID: PMC5291766.
9. Perin E, Borow K, Henry T, et al. Randomized Trial of Targeted Transendocardial Mesenchymal Precursor Cell Therapy in Patients With Heart Failure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023 Mar, 81 (9) 849–863.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.11.061
10. Wang Y, Yi H, Song Y. The safety of MSC therapy over the past 15 years: a meta-analysis. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2021;12(1):545. Published 2021 Oct 18. doi:10.1186/s13287-021-02609-x