Heart valve treatment in rheumatic heart disease and plausible role of stem cell therapy

Abstract

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a global health concern and is a neglected disease relative to its prevalence in developing nations. RHD is a result of recurrent ARF episodes and the abnormal immune response against the host proteins. The primary and secondary interventions are highly recommended for patients with ARF but the patients with a confirmed diagnosis and chronic case of RHD undergo either valve repair or depending on the severity of the cases. According to the reports, surgical intervention has been the mainstay in the treatment of chronic cases of rheumatic heart disease. The fundamental issue with the current treatment strategy is the lack of fast-paced degradation due to the lack of self-renewing cells. The promising solution to this challenge can the tissue-engineered cardiac valves by combining stem cells and biomaterials. Although tissue engineering has been explored for valve repair and replacement in severe cardiac disease, this strategy has not been studied and explored in RHD. In this review, we have discussed the plausible role of stem cells and tissue-engineered cardiac valves in the treatment of RHD.