The adaptive immune response to cardiac injury—the true roadblock to effective regenerative therapies?

The role of the innate and adaptive immune system post MI. A MI causes severe tissue damage and the release of DAMPs and cardiac self-antigens such as myosin and troponin. Immediately after injury, DAMPs lead to an acute inflammatory response, characterized by the influx of a vast number of innate immune cells, which initiate and orchestrate wound repair. Negative feedback mechanisms activated immediately and the declining availability of DAMPs eventually resolves early inflammation. However, in parallel, the release of massive amounts of self-antigens in an inflammatory environment breaks tolerance mechanisms and induces long-lived antigen-specific adaptive immune cells, which cause ongoing autoimmune tissue damage and continuous supply of self-antigen. IS; immune syste