
07/12/2025
https://www.facebook.com/100064626493881/posts/1154340376730168/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v
Love heals đ
A recent breakthrough has uncovered a surprising player in heart regeneration: oxytocin, the hormone best known for emotional bonding and affection. Scientists found that oxytocin can actually stimulate stem cells in the heartâs outer layerâcalled the epicardiumâto become cardiomyocytes, the muscle cells that power each heartbeat. This finding opens new doors in regenerative medicine, especially for treating heart damage.
The discovery came from research on zebrafish, known for their remarkable ability to regenerate organs. After researchers inflicted a freezing injury to the zebrafish heart, oxytocin levels spiked in the brain. The hormone traveled through the bloodstream to the heart, where it activated receptors in the epicardium and triggered a chain reaction that led to the formation of epicardium-derived progenitor cells (EpiPCs)âcapable of developing into new heart tissue.
In humans, the bodyâs ability to produce these progenitor cells naturally is limited. Thatâs what makes this discovery so exciting. Researchers showed that oxytocin could also stimulate human stem cells (specifically, induced pluripotent stem cells or hIPSCs) to turn into EpiPCsâat double the usual rate. Other similar hormones were tested, but none had the same effect, suggesting oxytocinâs unique role in this process.
The key lies in the TGF-β signaling pathway, a vital regulator of how cells grow and specialize. Oxytocin appears to interact with this pathway to kick-start heart repair on a cellular level. While the hormone's effects are fast-acting, it has a short half-life in the bloodstream, meaning it breaks down quickly. So future research may focus on creating longer-lasting forms of oxytocin to make it a viable treatment option for heart patients.
This unexpected connection between a âlove hormoneâ and heart healing might be more than just poeticâit could change how we recover from cardiac injury. The heart may have more ways to heal than we ever imagined, and oxytocin could be the key to unlocking them.