OBJECTIVEPoor stem cell survival is one of the obstacles for cell regeneration therapy post myocardial infarction (MI) and responsible for unsatisfactory therapeutic effectiveness. Various approaches to improve the status of these cells and increase cell survival have become research foci. The following article is a mini-review on the utilization of cell preconditioning for stem cell survival.

DATA SOURCESThe data used in this review were mainly from the articles in Medline and PubMed published from 1990 to 2010. The search terms included "preconditioning, stem cell and myocardial infarction".

STUDY SELECTIONOriginal articles and critical reviews selected were relevant to the review's theme.

RESULTSThe harsh ischemic and inflammatory microenvironment in the infarcted myocardium offers a significant challenge to the transplanted donor stem cells. Survival of stem cells following transplantation is affected by many factors, such as limited blood supply, nutritional deficiency, hypoxia, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Preconditioning methods have potent cytoprotective effects, which enables cells to maintain a "standby state" through programmed initiation of cell survival pathways.

CONCLUSIONSThe findings suggest that cell preconditioning can be used as an effective anti-apoptotic strategy and enable cells to withstand and survive the harsh environment after transplantation.