Mining exosomal MicroRNAs from human-induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes for cardiac regeneration

Myocardial infarction is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent advances in cardiac regenerative therapy have allowed for novel modalities in replenishing the damaged myocardium. However, poor long-term engraftment and survival of transplanted cells have largely precluded effective cell replacement. As an alternative to direct cell replacement, the release of paracrine protective factors may be a more plausible effector for cardioprotection which may partially be mediated through secretion of microvesicles, or exosomes, that contribute to cell-cell communication. In this chapter, we describe the isolation of exosomes from induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes for subsequent microRNA profiling for a better understanding of the biological cargo contained within exosomes.