Abstract: c-kit+ cells are mainly derived from bone marrow and cardiac tissue. The cells include various subpopulations. Recent studies have shown that c-kit+ cells are a kind of ideal cells of transplantation therapy for myocardial infarction. However, there is a great debate on the differentiation efficiency of c-kit+ cells towards cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the potential of c-kit+ cell differentiation and explore the effects of different developmental stages and microenvironments on differentiation of c-kit+ cells again. These studies could be significant for increasing efficiency of c-kit+ cell transplantation in repairing the infarcted myocardium.

Key words: c-kit+ cells, cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, ischemic disease