Oxygen as a key regulator of cardiomyocyte proliferation: New results about cell culture conditions!

The goal of the new therapeutically strategies aimed to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is to enhance the natural ability of the heart to regenerate. This represents a great challenge for the coming years as all the mechanisms underlying the replacement of dying cells by functional cells of the same type are not completely elucidated. Among these, stimulating cardiomyocyte proliferation seems to be crucial for the restoration of normal cardiac function after CVDs. In this review, we summarized the recent advances about the modulation of cardiomyocyte proliferation in physiological (during ageing) and pathological conditions. We highlighted the role of oxygen and we presented new results demonstrating that performing neonatal cardiomyocyte cell cultures in "normoxic" oxygen conditions (i.e. 3% oxygen) increases their proliferation rate, when compared to "hyperoxic" conventional conditions (i.e. 20% oxygen). Thus, oxygen concentration seems to be a key factor in the control of cardiomyocyte proliferation.