OCT2013, an ischaemia-activated antiarrhythmic prodrug, devoid of the systemic side effects of lidocaine

Automated fabrication of a scalable heart-on-a-chip device by 3D printing of thermoplastic elastomer nanocomposite and hot embossing

The successful translation of organ-on-a-chip devices requires the development of an automated workflow for device fabrication, which is challenged by the need for precise deposition of multiple classes of materials in micro-meter scaled configurations. Many current heart-on-a-chip devices are produced manually, requiring the expertise and dexterity of skilled operators. Here, we devised an automated and scalable fabrication method to engineer a Biowire II multiwell platform to generate human iPSC-derived cardiac tissues. This high-throughput heart-on-a-chip platform incorporated fluorescent nanocomposite microwires as force sensors, produced from quantum dots and thermoplastic elastomer, and 3D printed on top of a polystyrene tissue culture base patterned by hot embossing. An array of built-in carbon electrodes was embedded in a single step into the base, flanking the microwells on both sides. The facile and rapid 3D printing approach efficiently and seamlessly scaled up the Biowire II system from an 8-well chip to a 24-well and a 96-well format, resulting in an increase of platform fabrication efficiency by 17,5000-69,000% per well. The device's compatibility with long-term electrical stimulation in each well facilitated the targeted generation of mature human iPSC-derived cardiac tissues, evident through a positive force-frequency relationship, post-rest potentiation, and well-aligned sarcomeric apparatus. This system's ease of use and its capacity to gauge drug responses in matured cardiac tissue make it a powerful and reliable platform for rapid preclinical drug screening and development.

One-step fabrication of lidocaine/CalliSpheres® composites for painless transcatheter arterial embolization

BACKGROUND

Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is one of the first-line treatments for advanced hepatocellular cancer. The pain caused by TAE is a stark complication, which remains to be prevented by biomedical engineering methods.

METHODS

Herein, a commercial embolic agent CalliSpheres^® bead (CB) was functionally modified with lidocaine (Lid) using an electrostatic self-assembly technique. The products were coded as CB/Lid-n (n = 0, 5, 10, corresponding to the relative content of Lid). The chemical compositions, morphology, drug-loading, and drug-releasing ability of CB/Lid-n were comprehensively investigated. The biocompatibility was determined by hemolysis assay, live/dead cell staining assay, CCK8 assay, immunofluorescence (IHC) staining assay and quantitative real-time PCR. The thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) and edema ratio (ER) were performed to evaluate the analgesia of CB/Lid-n using a plantar inflammation model. A series of histological staining, including immunohistochemistry (IL-6, IL-10, TGF-β and Navi1.7) and TUNEL were conducted to reveal the underlying mechanism of anti-tumor effect of CB/Lid-n on a VX2-tumor bearing model.

RESULTS

Lid was successfully loaded onto the surface of CalliSpheres^® bead, and the average diameter of CalliSpheres^® bead increased along with the dosage of Lid. CB/Lid-n exhibited desirable drug-loading ratio, drug-embedding ratio, and sustained drug-release capability. CB/Lid-n had mild toxicity towards L929 cells, while triggered no obvious hemolysis. Furthermore, CB/Lid-n could improve the carrageenan-induced inflammation response micro-environment in vivo and in vitro. We found that CB/Lid-10 could selectively kill tumor by blocking blood supply, inhibiting cell proliferation, and promoting cell apoptosis. CB/Lid-10 could also release Lid to relieve post-operative pain, mainly by remodeling the harsh inflammation micro-environment (IME).

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, CB/Lid-10 has relatively good biocompatibility and bioactivity, and it can serve as a promising candidate for painless transcatheter arterial embolization.