Epicardial Cells
Epicardial Cells - Related Videos
07:44
Epicardial Outgrowth Culture Assay and Ex Vivo Assessment of Epicardial-derived Cell Migration
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Cited by 9 •
2016
Here, we describe methods for isolating primary mouse epicardial cells by an outgrowth culture assay and assessing the functional migration of epicardial-derived cells (EPDC) using an ex vivo heart culture system. These protocols are suitable for identifying genetic and chemical modulators of epicardial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and motility.
06:31
In Vitro Culture of Epicardial Cells From Mouse Embryonic Heart
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Cited by 13 •
2016
The epicardium is an essential source of multipotent cardiovascular progenitor cells and paracrine factors that are required for cardiovascular development and regeneration. We describe here a method to culture mouse embryonic epicardial cells.
09:11
Cell-based Therapy for Heart Failure in Rat: Double Thoracotomy for Myocardial Infarction and Epicardial Implantation of Cells and Biomatrix
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Cited by 8 •
2014
Implantation of a biograft to treat myocardial infarction induced by LAD ligation in a rodent model has conventionally required two open-heart surgeries. In order to reduce mortality and provide optimal conditions for fixation of solid and gelatinous biomatrices associated with cells, minimally invasive procedures have been developed.
08:57
The Isolation and Culture of Primary Epicardial Cells Derived from Human Adult and Fetal Heart Specimens
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Cited by 22 •
2018
The epicardium plays a crucial role in the development and repair of the heart by providing cells and growth factors to the myocardial wall. Here, we describe a method to culture human primary epicardial cells that enables the study and comparison of their developmental and adult characteristics.
09:17
High-Resolution Endocardial and Epicardial Optical Mapping in a Sheep Model of Stretch-Induced Atrial Fibrillation
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Cited by 20 •
2011
This report provides a detailed description of the methodology and results of simultaneous endocardial and epicardial optical mapping of electrical excitation in the intact left atrium of a Langendorff-perfused sheep heart during stretch-induced atrial fibrillation.
FAQs
Their developmental sequence begins with cells from the proepicardial organ spreading across the myocardial surface. After establishing this covering, they undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, a change that allows cells to leave an epithelial arrangement and generate mobile epicardium-derived populations. This transition connects surface-layer formation with the production of supporting cell types inside the developing heart.
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition expands the developmental potential of the epicardial layer. Rather than remaining only as a surface covering, participating cells generate progenitors that can contribute to cardiac fibroblasts, vascular smooth muscle cells, and other supporting tissues. Its importance lies in linking a coordinated change in cell behavior to tissue formation and structural maturation of the heart.
They provide essential signals and progenitors that influence cardiac formation while interacting closely with the myocardium, the heart’s muscle layer. These interactions help coordinate morphogenesis, meaning the shaping and organization of the developing heart, and support coronary vessel development. Examining these signals therefore reveals how surface-derived cells contribute to structures formed deeper within cardiac tissue.
Epicardium-derived cells can contribute to cardiac fibroblasts, vascular smooth muscle cells, and other supporting tissues. This range shows that the developmental significance of the epicardial layer extends beyond its position at the heart surface. Tracking these contributions helps explain how distinct structural and connective components are assembled during cardiac formation and how the developing heart gains organizational support.
Research on these cells can clarify heart morphogenesis, coronary vessel development, and communication between the epicardium and myocardium. Together, these areas provide a framework for understanding how the heart acquires its form and supporting vasculature. The findings are relevant to developmental biology because they connect cell behavior and signaling with the emergence of organized cardiac tissues.
Their developmental roles make them useful for investigating congenital heart disease, particularly questions about how abnormal formation or signaling could affect cardiac structure and coronary vessel development. Because these cells supply signals and progenitors during heart formation, studying them can help relate early developmental processes to the tissue abnormalities examined in disease-focused research.
The signaling and regenerative potential associated with epicardial cells make them relevant to research on cardiac injury and tissue repair. Investigators can examine how their developmental properties might inform responses after damage, including the formation or support of cardiac tissues. This context extends their importance beyond embryonic heart formation to efforts aimed at understanding repair-related processes.