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Karakan MÇ, Ewoldt JK, Segarra AJ, Sundaram S, Wang MC, White AE, Chen CS, Ekinci KL. Geometry and length control of 3D engineered heart tissues using direct laser writing. Lab Chip 2024; 24:1685-1701. [PMID: 38317604 PMCID: PMC10929702 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00752a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Geometry and mechanical characteristics of the environment surrounding the Engineered Heart Tissues (EHT) affect their structure and function. Here, we employed a 3D tissue culture platform fabricated using two-photon direct laser writing with a high degree of accuracy to control parameters that are relevant to EHT maturation. Using this platform, we first explore the effects of geometry based on two distinct shapes: a rectangular seeding well with two attachment sites, and a stadium-like seeding well with six attachment sites that are placed symmetrically along hemicylindrical membranes. The former geometry promotes uniaxial contraction of the tissues; the latter additionally induces diagonal fiber alignment. We systematically increase the length of the seeding wells for both configurations and observe a positive correlation between fiber alignment at the center of the EHTs and tissue length. With increasing length, an undesirable thinning and "necking" also emerge, leading to the failure of longer tissues over time. In the second step, we optimize the stiffness of the seeding wells and modify some of the attachment sites of the platform and the seeding parameters to achieve tissue stability for each length and geometry. Furthermore, we use the platform for electrical pacing and calcium imaging to evaluate the functional dynamics of EHTs as a function of frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Çağatay Karakan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
- Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jourdan K Ewoldt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Addianette J Segarra
- Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, San Juan 00918, Puerto Rico
| | - Subramanian Sundaram
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Miranda C Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Alice E White
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
- Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Christopher S Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kamil L Ekinci
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
- Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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2
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Peters MM, Brister JK, Tang EM, Zhang FW, Lucian VM, Trackey PD, Bone Z, Zimmerman JF, Jin Q, Burpo FJ, Parker KK. Self-organizing behaviors of cardiovascular cells on synthetic nanofiber scaffolds. APL Bioeng 2023; 7:046114. [PMID: 38046543 PMCID: PMC10693444 DOI: 10.1063/5.0172423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In tissues and organs, the extracellular matrix (ECM) helps maintain inter- and intracellular architectures that sustain the structure-function relationships defining physiological homeostasis. Combining fiber scaffolds and cells to form engineered tissues is a means of replicating these relationships. Engineered tissues' fiber scaffolds are designed to mimic the topology and chemical composition of the ECM network. Here, we asked how cells found in the heart compare in their propensity to align their cytoskeleton and self-organize in response to topological cues in fibrous scaffolds. We studied cardiomyocytes, valvular interstitial cells, and vascular endothelial cells as they adapted their inter- and intracellular architectures to the extracellular space. We used focused rotary jet spinning to manufacture aligned fibrous scaffolds to mimic the length scale and three-dimensional (3D) nature of the native ECM in the muscular, valvular, and vascular tissues of the heart. The representative cardiovascular cell types were seeded onto fiber scaffolds and infiltrated the fibrous network. We measured different cell types' propensity for cytoskeletal alignment in response to fiber scaffolds with differing levels of anisotropy. The results indicated that valvular interstitial cells on moderately anisotropic substrates have a higher propensity for cytoskeletal alignment than cardiomyocytes and vascular endothelial cells. However, all cell types displayed similar levels of alignment on more extreme (isotropic and highly anisotropic) fiber scaffold organizations. These data suggest that in the hierarchy of signals that dictate the spatiotemporal organization of a tissue, geometric cues within the ECM and cellular networks may homogenize behaviors across cell populations and demographics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael M. Peters
- Disease Biophysics Group, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02134, USA
| | - Jackson K. Brister
- Disease Biophysics Group, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02134, USA
| | - Edward M. Tang
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 10996, USA
| | - Felita W. Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 10996, USA
| | - Veronica M. Lucian
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 10996, USA
| | - Paul D. Trackey
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 10996, USA
| | - Zachary Bone
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 10996, USA
| | - John F. Zimmerman
- Disease Biophysics Group, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02134, USA
| | - Qianru Jin
- Disease Biophysics Group, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02134, USA
| | - F. John Burpo
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 10996, USA
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3
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Kafili G, Kabir H, Jalali Kandeloos A, Golafshan E, Ghasemi S, Mashayekhan S, Taebnia N. Recent advances in soluble decellularized extracellular matrix for heart tissue engineering and organ modeling. J Biomater Appl 2023; 38:577-604. [PMID: 38006224 PMCID: PMC10676626 DOI: 10.1177/08853282231207216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Despite the advent of tissue engineering (TE) for the remodeling, restoring, and replacing damaged cardiovascular tissues, the progress is hindered by the optimal mechanical and chemical properties required to induce cardiac tissue-specific cellular behaviors including migration, adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) consists of numerous structural and functional molecules and tissue-specific cells, therefore it plays an important role in stimulating cell proliferation and differentiation, guiding cell migration, and activating regulatory signaling pathways. With the improvement and modification of cell removal methods, decellularized ECM (dECM) preserves biochemical complexity, and bio-inductive properties of the native matrix and improves the process of generating functional tissue. In this review, we first provide an overview of the latest advancements in the utilization of dECM in in vitro model systems for disease and tissue modeling, as well as drug screening. Then, we explore the role of dECM-based biomaterials in cardiovascular regenerative medicine (RM), including both invasive and non-invasive methods. In the next step, we elucidate the engineering and material considerations in the preparation of dECM-based biomaterials, namely various decellularization techniques, dECM sources, modulation, characterizations, and fabrication approaches. Finally, we discuss the limitations and future directions in fabrication of dECM-based biomaterials for cardiovascular modeling, RM, and clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Golara Kafili
- Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hannaneh Kabir
- Molecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory, Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Elham Golafshan
- Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sara Ghasemi
- Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shohreh Mashayekhan
- Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nayere Taebnia
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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4
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Pilato S, Moffa S, Siani G, Diomede F, Trubiani O, Pizzicannella J, Capista D, Passacantando M, Samorì P, Fontana A. 3D Graphene Oxide-Polyethylenimine Scaffolds for Cardiac Tissue Engineering. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2023; 15. [PMID: 36881875 PMCID: PMC10037243 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c00216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The development of novel three-dimensional (3D) nanomaterials combining high biocompatibility, precise mechanical characteristics, electrical conductivity, and controlled pore size to enable cell and nutrient permeation is highly sought after for cardiac tissue engineering applications including repair of damaged heart tissues following myocardial infarction and heart failure. Such unique characteristics can collectively be found in hybrid, highly porous tridimensional scaffolds based on chemically functionalized graphene oxide (GO). By exploiting the rich reactivity of the GO's basal epoxydic and edge carboxylate moieties when interacting, respectively, with NH2 and NH3+ groups of linear polyethylenimines (PEIs), 3D architectures with variable thickness and porosity can be manufactured, making use of the layer-by-layer technique through the subsequent dipping in GO and PEI aqueous solutions, thereby attaining enhanced compositional and structural control. The elasticity modulus of the hybrid material is found to depend on scaffold's thickness, with the lowest value of 13 GPa obtained in samples containing the highest number of alternating layers. Thanks to the amino-rich composition of the hybrid and the established biocompatibility of GO, the scaffolds do not exhibit cytotoxicity; they promote cardiac muscle HL-1 cell adhesion and growth without interfering with the cell morphology and increasing cardiac markers such as Connexin-43 and Nkx 2.5. Our novel strategy for scaffold preparation thus overcomes the drawbacks associated with the limited processability of pristine graphene and low GO conductivity, and it enables the production of biocompatible 3D GO scaffolds covalently functionalized with amino-based spacers, which is advantageous for cardiac tissue engineering applications. In particular, they displayed a significant increase in the number of gap junctions compared to HL-1 cultured on CTRL substrates, which render them key components for repairing damaged heart tissues as well as being used for 3D in vitro cardiac modeling investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Pilato
- Dipartimento
di Farmacia, Università “G.
d’Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Samanta Moffa
- Dipartimento
di Farmacia, Università “G.
d’Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Gabriella Siani
- Dipartimento
di Farmacia, Università “G.
d’Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Francesca Diomede
- Dipartimento
di Tecnologie Innovative in Medicina & Odontoiatria, Università “G. d’Annunzio”
di Chieti-Pescara, Via
dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Oriana Trubiani
- Dipartimento
di Tecnologie Innovative in Medicina & Odontoiatria, Università “G. d’Annunzio”
di Chieti-Pescara, Via
dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Daniele Capista
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Fisiche e Chimiche, Università
degli Studi dell’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 Coppito, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Maurizio Passacantando
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Fisiche e Chimiche, Università
degli Studi dell’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 Coppito, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Paolo Samorì
- Université
de Strasbourg, CNRS, ISIS, 8 alleé Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Antonella Fontana
- Dipartimento
di Farmacia, Università “G.
d’Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- UdA—TechLab,
Research Center, Università “G.
d’Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy
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5
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Calin BS, Paun IA. A Review on Stimuli-Actuated 3D Micro/Nanostructures for Tissue Engineering and the Potential of Laser-Direct Writing via Two-Photon Polymerization for Structure Fabrication. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23. [PMID: 36430752 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we present the most recent and relevant research that has been done regarding the fabrication of 3D micro/nanostructures for tissue engineering applications. First, we make an overview of 3D micro/nanostructures that act as backbone constructs where the seeded cells can attach, proliferate and differentiate towards the formation of new tissue. Then, we describe the fabrication of 3D micro/nanostructures that are able to control the cellular processes leading to faster tissue regeneration, by actuation using topographical, mechanical, chemical, electric or magnetic stimuli. An in-depth analysis of the actuation of the 3D micro/nanostructures using each of the above-mentioned stimuli for controlling the behavior of the seeded cells is provided. For each type of stimulus, a particular recent application is presented and discussed, such as controlling the cell proliferation and avoiding the formation of a necrotic core (topographic stimulation), controlling the cell adhesion (nanostructuring), supporting the cell differentiation via nuclei deformation (mechanical stimulation), improving the osteogenesis (chemical and magnetic stimulation), controlled drug-delivery systems (electric stimulation) and fastening tissue formation (magnetic stimulation). The existing techniques used for the fabrication of such stimuli-actuated 3D micro/nanostructures, are briefly summarized. Special attention is dedicated to structures' fabrication using laser-assisted technologies. The performances of stimuli-actuated 3D micro/nanostructures fabricated by laser-direct writing via two-photon polymerization are particularly emphasized.
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6
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Zhang Y, Mu W, Zhang Y, He X, Wang Y, Ma H, Zhu T, Li A, Hou Q, Yang W, Ding Y, Ramakrishna S, Li H. Recent Advances in Cardiac Patches: Materials, Preparations, and Properties. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2022; 8:3659-3675. [PMID: 36037313 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac patches are biomaterials that can be used for transplantation and repair of damaged myocardium by combining seed cells with the ability to form cardiomyocytes and suitable scaffold materials. On the one hand, they provide temporary support to the infarcted area, and on the other hand, they repair the damaged myocardium by delivering cells or bioactive factors to integrate with the host, which have gradually become a hot research topic in recent years. This paper summarizes the structural properties of natural myocardium and reviews the recent research progress of cardiac patches, including the seed cells and scaffold materials used in patch preparation, as well as the main methods of scaffold preparation and the structure properties of various scaffolds. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the problems faced in the clinical implementation of cardiac patches is presented. Finally, we look forward to the development of cardiac patches and point out that precisely tunable anisotropic tissue engineering scaffolds close to natural myocardial tissue will become an important direction for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhang
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Wenying Mu
- Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100000, China
| | - Yanping Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DK-8000, Denmark
| | - Xuetao He
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Yiming Wang
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Hongyu Ma
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Tianyang Zhu
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Aoyuan Li
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Qinzheng Hou
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Weimin Yang
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Yumei Ding
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Seeram Ramakrishna
- Center for Nanofibers & Nanotechnology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119077, Singapore
| | - Haoyi Li
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
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7
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Ahrens JH, Uzel SGM, Skylar-Scott M, Mata MM, Lu A, Kroll KT, Lewis JA. Programming Cellular Alignment in Engineered Cardiac Tissue via Bioprinting Anisotropic Organ Building Blocks. Adv Mater 2022; 34:e2200217. [PMID: 35451188 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202200217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The ability to replicate the 3D myocardial architecture found in human hearts is a grand challenge. Here, the fabrication of aligned cardiac tissues via bioprinting anisotropic organ building blocks (aOBBs) composed of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) is reported. A bioink composed of contractile cardiac aOBBs is first generated and aligned cardiac tissue sheets with linear, spiral, and chevron features are printed. Next, aligned cardiac macrofilaments are printed, whose contractile force and conduction velocity increase over time and exceed the performance of spheroid-based cardiac tissues. Finally, the ability to spatially control the magnitude and direction of contractile force by printing cardiac sheets with different aOBB alignment is highlighted. This research opens new avenues to generating functional cardiac tissue with high cell density and complex cellular alignment.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Ahrens
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Sebastien G M Uzel
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Mark Skylar-Scott
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Mariana M Mata
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Aric Lu
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Katharina T Kroll
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Jennifer A Lewis
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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8
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Suku M, Forrester L, Biggs M, Monaghan MG. Resident Macrophages and Their Potential in Cardiac Tissue Engineering. Tissue Eng Part B Rev 2022; 28:579-591. [PMID: 34088222 PMCID: PMC9242717 DOI: 10.1089/ten.teb.2021.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Many facets of tissue engineered models aim at understanding cellular mechanisms to recapitulate in vivo behavior, to study and mimic diseases for drug interventions, and to provide a better understanding toward improving regenerative medicine. Recent and rapid advances in stem cell biology, material science and engineering, have made the generation of complex engineered tissues much more attainable. One such tissue, human myocardium, is extremely intricate, with a number of different cell types. Recent studies have unraveled cardiac resident macrophages as a critical mediator for normal cardiac function. Macrophages within the heart exert phagocytosis and efferocytosis, facilitate electrical conduction, promote regeneration, and remove cardiac exophers to maintain homeostasis. These findings underpin the rationale of introducing macrophages to engineered heart tissue (EHT), to more aptly capitulate in vivo physiology. Despite the lack of studies using cardiac macrophages in vitro, there is enough evidence to accept that they will be key to making EHTs more physiologically relevant. In this review, we explore the rationale and feasibility of using macrophages as an additional cell source in engineered cardiac tissues. Impact statement Macrophages play a critical role in cardiac homeostasis and in disease. Over the past decade, we have come to understand the many vital roles played by cardiac resident macrophages in the heart, including immunosurveillance, regeneration, electrical conduction, and elimination of exophers. There is a need to improve our understanding of the resident macrophage population in the heart in vitro, to better recapitulate the myocardium through tissue engineered models. However, obtaining them in vitro remains a challenge. Here, we discuss the importance of cardiac resident macrophages and potential ways to obtain cardiac resident macrophages in vitro. Finally, we critically discuss their potential in realizing impactful in vitro models of cardiac tissue and their impact in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meenakshi Suku
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- CURAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Lesley Forrester
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Manus Biggs
- CURAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Michael G. Monaghan
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- CURAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Research (AMBER) Centre, Trinity College Dublin and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
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9
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Häneke T, Sahara M. Progress in Bioengineering Strategies for Heart Regenerative Medicine. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:3482. [PMID: 35408844 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The human heart has the least regenerative capabilities among tissues and organs, and heart disease continues to be a leading cause of mortality in the industrialized world with insufficient therapeutic options and poor prognosis. Therefore, developing new therapeutic strategies for heart regeneration is a major goal in modern cardiac biology and medicine. Recent advances in stem cell biology and biotechnologies such as human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and cardiac tissue engineering hold great promise for opening novel paths to heart regeneration and repair for heart disease, although these areas are still in their infancy. In this review, we summarize and discuss the recent progress in cardiac tissue engineering strategies, highlighting stem cell engineering and cardiomyocyte maturation, development of novel functional biomaterials and biofabrication tools, and their therapeutic applications involving drug discovery, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine for heart disease.
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10
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Liu Y, Zhang Y, Mei T, Cao H, Hu Y, Jia W, Wang J, Zhang Z, Wang Z, Le W, Liu Z. hESCs-Derived Early Vascular Cell Spheroids for Cardiac Tissue Vascular Engineering and Myocardial Infarction Treatment. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2022; 9:e2104299. [PMID: 35092352 PMCID: PMC8948571 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202104299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Transplanting functional cells to treat myocardial infarction (MI), a major disease threatening human health, has become the focus of global therapy. However, the efficacy has not been well anticipated, partly due to the lack of microvascular system that supplies nutrients and oxygen. Here, spheroids of early vascular cells (EVCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), rather than single-cell forms, as transplant "seeds" for reconstructing microvascular networks, are proposed. Firstly, EVCs containing CD34+ vascular progenitor cells are identified, which effectively differentiate into endothelial cells in situ and form vascular networks in extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel. Secondly, cardiac microtissues and cardiac patches with well-organized microvasculature are fabricated by three-dimensional (3D) co-culture or bioprinting with EVCs and cardiomyocytes in hydrogel. Notably, in 3D-bioprinted myocardial models, self-assembly vascularization of EVC spheroids is found to be significantly superior to EVC single cells. EVC spheroids are also injected into ischemic region of MI mouse models to explore its therapeutic potential. These findings uncover hESCs-derived EVC spheroids rather than single cells are more accessible for complex vasculature engineering, which is of great potential for cardiac tissue vascular engineering and MI treatment by cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineShanghai East HospitalFrontier Science Center for Stem Cell ResearchSchool of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
| | - Yifan Zhang
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineShanghai East HospitalFrontier Science Center for Stem Cell ResearchSchool of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
| | - Tianxiao Mei
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineShanghai East HospitalFrontier Science Center for Stem Cell ResearchSchool of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
- National Stem Cell Translational Resource CenterShanghai East HospitalSchool of Life Sciences and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
| | - Hao Cao
- Department of Cardiovascular SurgeryShanghai East HospitalTongji University School of MedicineShanghai200120China
| | - Yihui Hu
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineShanghai East HospitalFrontier Science Center for Stem Cell ResearchSchool of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
| | - Wenwen Jia
- National Stem Cell Translational Resource CenterShanghai East HospitalSchool of Life Sciences and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
| | - Jing Wang
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineShanghai East HospitalFrontier Science Center for Stem Cell ResearchSchool of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
| | - Ziliang Zhang
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineShanghai East HospitalFrontier Science Center for Stem Cell ResearchSchool of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
| | - Zhan Wang
- Department of Internal MedicineSection on Molecular MedicineWake Forest School of MedicineMedical Center BlvdWinston‐SalemNC27157USA
| | - Wenjun Le
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineShanghai East HospitalFrontier Science Center for Stem Cell ResearchSchool of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghai200092China
| | - Zhongmin Liu
- Department of Cardiovascular SurgeryShanghai East HospitalTongji University School of MedicineShanghai200120China
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11
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Luketich SK, Cosentino F, Di Giuseppe M, Menallo G, Nasello G, Livreri P, Wagner WR, D'Amore A. Engineering in-plane mechanics of electrospun polyurethane scaffolds for cardiovascular tissue applications. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2022; 128:105126. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2022.105126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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12
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Lang M, Bunn S, Gopalakrishnan B, Li J. Use of weak DC electric fields to rapidly align mammalian cells. J Neural Eng 2021; 18. [PMID: 34544059 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac284b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Objective.The ability to modulate cell morphology has clinical relevance in regenerative biology. For example, cells of the skeletal muscle, peripheral nerve and vasculature have specific oriented architectures that emerge from unique structure-function relationships. Methods that can induce similar cell morphologiesin vitrocan be of use in the development of biomimetic constructs for the repair or replacement of damaged tissues. In this work, we demonstrate that direct current (DC) electric fields (EFs) can be used as a tool to globally align cell populationsin vitro. Approach.Using a 2D culture chamber system, we were able to quickly (within hours) align Schwann cells at different culture densities with an application of steady EFs at 200-500 mV mm-1.Main results.Cellular alignment was perpendicular to the field vector and varied proportionately as a function of field magnitude. In addition, the degree of cellular alignment was also dependent on cellular density. Even well-established Schwann cell monolayers were responsive to the applied DC fields with cells retracting parallel oriented processes (with respect to the imposed field) and re-extending them along the perpendicular axis. When the DC field was removed, monolayers retained the aligned morphology for many days afterwards, likely due to contact inhibition. We further show the method is applicable to other field-responsive cells, such as 3T3 fibroblasts.Significance.The patterned cells provided nanoscale haptotactic cues and can be subsequently used as a basal layer for co-culturing or manipulated for other applications. DC fields represent a rapid, simple, and efficient technique compared to other cell patterning methods such as substrate manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Lang
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States of America.,Veterinary Center for Paralysis Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States of America
| | - Spencer Bunn
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States of America.,Veterinary Center for Paralysis Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States of America
| | - Bhavani Gopalakrishnan
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States of America.,Veterinary Center for Paralysis Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States of America
| | - Jianming Li
- Veterinary Center for Paralysis Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States of America.,Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States of America
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13
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Bliley JM, Vermeer MCSC, Duffy RM, Batalov I, Kramer D, Tashman JW, Shiwarski DJ, Lee A, Teplenin AS, Volkers L, Coffin B, Hoes MF, Kalmykov A, Palchesko RN, Sun Y, Jongbloed JDH, Bomer N, de Boer RA, Suurmeijer AJH, Pijnappels DA, Bolling MC, van der Meer P, Feinberg AW. Dynamic loading of human engineered heart tissue enhances contractile function and drives a desmosome-linked disease phenotype. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:13/603/eabd1817. [PMID: 34290054 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abd1817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The role that mechanical forces play in shaping the structure and function of the heart is critical to understanding heart formation and the etiology of disease but is challenging to study in patients. Engineered heart tissues (EHTs) incorporating human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes have the potential to provide insight into these adaptive and maladaptive changes. However, most EHT systems cannot model both preload (stretch during chamber filling) and afterload (pressure the heart must work against to eject blood). Here, we have developed a new dynamic EHT (dyn-EHT) model that enables us to tune preload and have unconstrained contractile shortening of >10%. To do this, three-dimensional (3D) EHTs were integrated with an elastic polydimethylsiloxane strip providing mechanical preload and afterload in addition to enabling contractile force measurements based on strip bending. Our results demonstrated that dynamic loading improves the function of wild-type EHTs on the basis of the magnitude of the applied force, leading to improved alignment, conduction velocity, and contractility. For disease modeling, we used hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from a patient with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy due to mutations in the desmoplakin gene. We demonstrated that manifestation of this desmosome-linked disease state required dyn-EHT conditioning and that it could not be induced using 2D or standard 3D EHT approaches. Thus, a dynamic loading strategy is necessary to provoke the disease phenotype of diastolic lengthening, reduction of desmosome counts, and reduced contractility, which are related to primary end points of clinical disease, such as chamber thinning and reduced cardiac output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Bliley
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Mathilde C S C Vermeer
- Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Rebecca M Duffy
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Ivan Batalov
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Duco Kramer
- Department of Dermatology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Joshua W Tashman
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Daniel J Shiwarski
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Andrew Lee
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Alexander S Teplenin
- Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center Leiden, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Linda Volkers
- Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center Leiden, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Brian Coffin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Martijn F Hoes
- Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Anna Kalmykov
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Rachelle N Palchesko
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Yan Sun
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Jan D H Jongbloed
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Nils Bomer
- Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Rudolf A de Boer
- Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Albert J H Suurmeijer
- Department of Pathology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Daniel A Pijnappels
- Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center Leiden, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Maria C Bolling
- Department of Dermatology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Peter van der Meer
- Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, Netherlands.
| | - Adam W Feinberg
- Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. .,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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14
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Dwyer KD, Coulombe KL. Cardiac mechanostructure: Using mechanics and anisotropy as inspiration for developing epicardial therapies in treating myocardial infarction. Bioact Mater 2021; 6:2198-2220. [PMID: 33553810 PMCID: PMC7822956 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanical environment and anisotropic structure of the heart modulate cardiac function at the cellular, tissue and organ levels. During myocardial infarction (MI) and subsequent healing, however, this landscape changes significantly. In order to engineer cardiac biomaterials with the appropriate properties to enhance function after MI, the changes in the myocardium induced by MI must be clearly identified. In this review, we focus on the mechanical and structural properties of the healthy and infarcted myocardium in order to gain insight about the environment in which biomaterial-based cardiac therapies are expected to perform and the functional deficiencies caused by MI that the therapy must address. From this understanding, we discuss epicardial therapies for MI inspired by the mechanics and anisotropy of the heart focusing on passive devices, which feature a biomaterials approach, and active devices, which feature robotic and cellular components. Through this review, a detailed analysis is provided in order to inspire further development and translation of epicardial therapies for MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiera D. Dwyer
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Kareen L.K. Coulombe
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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15
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Abstract
After cardiovascular injury, numerous pathological processes adversely impact the homeostatic function of cardiomyocyte, macrophage, fibroblast, endothelial cell, and vascular smooth muscle cell populations. Subsequent malfunctioning of these cells may further contribute to cardiovascular disease onset and progression. By modulating cellular responses after injury, it is possible to create local environments that promote wound healing and tissue repair mechanisms. The extracellular matrix continuously provides these mechanosensitive cell types with physical cues spanning the micro- and nanoscale to influence behaviors such as adhesion, morphology, and phenotype. It is therefore becoming increasingly compelling to harness these cell-substrate interactions to elicit more native cell behaviors that impede cardiovascular disease progression and enhance regenerative potential. This review discusses recent in vitro and preclinical work that have demonstrated the therapeutic implications of micro- and nanoscale biophysical cues on cell types adversely affected in cardiovascular diseases - cardiomyocytes, macrophages, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Mohindra
- UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Tejal A Desai
- UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.
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16
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Seguret M, Vermersch E, Jouve C, Hulot JS. Cardiac Organoids to Model and Heal Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies. Biomedicines 2021; 9:563. [PMID: 34069816 PMCID: PMC8157277 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9050563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac tissue engineering aims at creating contractile structures that can optimally reproduce the features of human cardiac tissue. These constructs are becoming valuable tools to model some of the cardiac functions, to set preclinical platforms for drug testing, or to alternatively be used as therapies for cardiac repair approaches. Most of the recent developments in cardiac tissue engineering have been made possible by important advances regarding the efficient generation of cardiac cells from pluripotent stem cells and the use of novel biomaterials and microfabrication methods. Different combinations of cells, biomaterials, scaffolds, and geometries are however possible, which results in different types of structures with gradual complexities and abilities to mimic the native cardiac tissue. Here, we intend to cover key aspects of tissue engineering applied to cardiology and the consequent development of cardiac organoids. This review presents various facets of the construction of human cardiac 3D constructs, from the choice of the components to their patterning, the final geometry of generated tissues, and the subsequent readouts and applications to model and treat cardiac diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Seguret
- INSERM, PARCC, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; (M.S.); (E.V.); (C.J.)
| | - Eva Vermersch
- INSERM, PARCC, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; (M.S.); (E.V.); (C.J.)
| | - Charlène Jouve
- INSERM, PARCC, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; (M.S.); (E.V.); (C.J.)
| | - Jean-Sébastien Hulot
- INSERM, PARCC, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; (M.S.); (E.V.); (C.J.)
- CIC1418 and DMU CARTE, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou, F-75015 Paris, France
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17
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Ly OT, Brown GE, Han YD, Darbar D, Khetani SR. Bioengineering approaches to mature induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial cardiomyocytes to model atrial fibrillation. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2021; 246:1816-1828. [PMID: 33899540 DOI: 10.1177/15353702211009146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) serve as a robust platform to model several human arrhythmia syndromes including atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the structural, molecular, functional, and electrophysiological parameters of patient-specific iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocytes (iPSC-aCMs) do not fully recapitulate the mature phenotype of their human adult counterparts. The use of physiologically inspired microenvironmental cues, such as postnatal factors, metabolic conditioning, extracellular matrix (ECM) modulation, electrical and mechanical stimulation, co-culture with non-parenchymal cells, and 3D culture techniques can help mimic natural atrial development and induce a more mature adult phenotype in iPSC-aCMs. Such advances will not only elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of AF, but also identify and assess novel mechanism-based therapies towards supporting a more 'personalized' (i.e. patient-specific) approach to pharmacologic therapy of AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia T Ly
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Grace E Brown
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Yong Duk Han
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Dawood Darbar
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.,Department of Medicine, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Salman R Khetani
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
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18
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Sharma P, Wang X, Ming CLC, Vettori L, Figtree G, Boyle A, Gentile C. Considerations for the Bioengineering of Advanced Cardiac In Vitro Models of Myocardial Infarction. Small 2021; 17:e2003765. [PMID: 33464713 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202003765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Despite the latest advances in cardiovascular biology and medicine, myocardial infarction (MI) remains one of the major causes of deaths worldwide. While reperfusion of the myocardium is critical to limit the ischemic damage typical of a MI event, it causes detrimental morphological and functional changes known as "reperfusion injury." This complex scenario is poorly represented in currently available models of ischemia/reperfusion injury, leading to a poor translation of findings from the bench to the bedside. However, more recent bioengineered in vitro models of the human heart represent more clinically relevant tools to prevent and treat MI in patients. These include 3D cultures of cardiac cells, the use of patient-derived stem cells, and 3D bioprinting technology. This review aims at highlighting the major features typical of a heart attack while comparing current in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models. This information has the potential to further guide in developing novel advanced in vitro cardiac models of ischemia/reperfusion injury. It may pave the way for the generation of advanced pathophysiological cardiac models with the potential to develop personalized therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Sharma
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
- Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, 2065, Australia
- School of Biomedical Engineering/FEIT, University of Technology Sydney, Building 11, Level 10, Room 115, 81 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Xiaowei Wang
- Molecular Imaging and Theranostics Laboratory, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Clara Liu Chung Ming
- School of Biomedical Engineering/FEIT, University of Technology Sydney, Building 11, Level 10, Room 115, 81 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Laura Vettori
- School of Biomedical Engineering/FEIT, University of Technology Sydney, Building 11, Level 10, Room 115, 81 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Gemma Figtree
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
- Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, 2065, Australia
| | - Andrew Boyle
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Carmine Gentile
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
- Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, 2065, Australia
- School of Biomedical Engineering/FEIT, University of Technology Sydney, Building 11, Level 10, Room 115, 81 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
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19
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Abstract
Engineered cardiac tissues hold tremendous promise for in vitro drug discovery, studies of heart development and disease, and therapeutic applications. Here, we describe a versatile "frame-hydrogel" methodology to generate engineered cardiac tissues with highly mature functional properties. This methodology has been successfully utilized with a variety of cell sources (neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, human and mouse pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes) to generate tissues with diverse 3D geometries (patch, bundle, network) and levels of structural and functional anisotropy. Maturation of such engineered cardiac tissues is rapidly achieved without the need for exogenous electrical or mechanical stimulation or use of complex bioreactors, with tissues routinely reaching conduction velocities and specific forces of 25 cm/s and 20 mN/mm2, respectively, and forces per input cardiomyocyte of up to 12 nN. This method is reproducible and readily scalable to generate small tissues ideal for in vitro testing as well as tissues with large, clinically relevant dimensions.
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20
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Yip JK, Sarkar D, Petersen AP, Gipson JN, Tao J, Kale S, Rexius-Hall ML, Cho N, Khalil NN, Kapadia R, McCain ML. Contact photolithography-free integration of patterned and semi-transparent indium tin oxide stimulation electrodes into polydimethylsiloxane-based heart-on-a-chip devices for streamlining physiological recordings. Lab Chip 2021; 21:674-687. [PMID: 33439202 PMCID: PMC7968549 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00948b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Controlled electrical stimulation is essential for evaluating the physiology of cardiac tissues engineered in heart-on-a-chip devices. However, existing stimulation techniques, such as external platinum electrodes or opaque microelectrode arrays patterned on glass substrates, have limited throughput, reproducibility, or compatibility with other desirable features of heart-on-a-chip systems, such as the use of tunable culture substrates, imaging accessibility, or enclosure in a microfluidic device. In this study, indium tin oxide (ITO), a conductive, semi-transparent, and biocompatible material, was deposited onto glass and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated coverslips as parallel or point stimulation electrodes using laser-cut tape masks. ITO caused substrate discoloration but did not prevent brightfield imaging. ITO-patterned substrates were microcontact printed with arrayed lines of fibronectin and seeded with neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, which assembled into aligned cardiac tissues. ITO deposited as parallel or point electrodes was connected to an external stimulator and used to successfully stimulate micropatterned cardiac tissues to generate calcium transients or propagating calcium waves, respectively. ITO electrodes were also integrated into the cantilever-based muscular thin film (MTF) assay to stimulate and quantify the contraction of micropatterned cardiac tissues. To demonstrate the potential for multiple ITO electrodes to be integrated into larger, multiplexed systems, two sets of ITO electrodes were deposited onto a single substrate and used to stimulate the contraction of distinct micropatterned cardiac tissues independently. Collectively, these approaches for integrating ITO electrodes into heart-on-a-chip devices are relatively facile, modular, and scalable and could have diverse applications in microphysiological systems of excitable tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joycelyn K Yip
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Debarghya Sarkar
- Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Andrew P Petersen
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Jennifer N Gipson
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Jun Tao
- Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Salil Kale
- Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Megan L Rexius-Hall
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Nathan Cho
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Natalie N Khalil
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Rehan Kapadia
- Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Megan L McCain
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. and Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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21
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Tadevosyan K, Iglesias-García O, Mazo MM, Prósper F, Raya A. Engineering and Assessing Cardiac Tissue Complexity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031479. [PMID: 33540699 PMCID: PMC7867236 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac tissue engineering is very much in a current focus of regenerative medicine research as it represents a promising strategy for cardiac disease modelling, cardiotoxicity testing and cardiovascular repair. Advances in this field over the last two decades have enabled the generation of human engineered cardiac tissue constructs with progressively increased functional capabilities. However, reproducing tissue-like properties is still a pending issue, as constructs generated to date remain immature relative to native adult heart. Moreover, there is a high degree of heterogeneity in the methodologies used to assess the functionality and cardiac maturation state of engineered cardiac tissue constructs, which further complicates the comparison of constructs generated in different ways. Here, we present an overview of the general approaches developed to generate functional cardiac tissues, discussing the different cell sources, biomaterials, and types of engineering strategies utilized to date. Moreover, we discuss the main functional assays used to evaluate the cardiac maturation state of the constructs, both at the cellular and the tissue levels. We trust that researchers interested in developing engineered cardiac tissue constructs will find the information reviewed here useful. Furthermore, we believe that providing a unified framework for comparison will further the development of human engineered cardiac tissue constructs displaying the specific properties best suited for each particular application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Tadevosyan
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) and Program for Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia (P-CMRC), 08908 L’Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain;
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Olalla Iglesias-García
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) and Program for Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia (P-CMRC), 08908 L’Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain;
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Foundation for Applied Medical Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.M.M.); (F.P.)
- IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Correspondence: (O.I.-G.); (A.R.)
| | - Manuel M. Mazo
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Foundation for Applied Medical Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.M.M.); (F.P.)
- IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Area, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Felipe Prósper
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Foundation for Applied Medical Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.M.M.); (F.P.)
- IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Area, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Angel Raya
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) and Program for Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia (P-CMRC), 08908 L’Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain;
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence: (O.I.-G.); (A.R.)
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22
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Yu J, Cai P, Chen X. Structural Regulation of Myocytes in Engineered Healthy and Diseased Cardiac Models. ACS Appl Bio Mater 2021; 4:267-276. [DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c01270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yu
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), Max Planck-NTU Joint Lab for Artificial Senses, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 Singapore
| | - Pingqiang Cai
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), Max Planck-NTU Joint Lab for Artificial Senses, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 Singapore
| | - Xiaodong Chen
- Innovative Center for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), Max Planck-NTU Joint Lab for Artificial Senses, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 Singapore
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23
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Abstract
Microvasculature functions at the tissue and cell level, regulating local mass exchange of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood. While there has been considerable success in the biofabrication of large- and small-vessel replacements, functional microvasculature has been particularly challenging to engineer due to its size and complexity. Recently, three-dimensional bioprinting has expanded the possibilities of fabricating sophisticated microvascular systems by enabling precise spatiotemporal placement of cells and biomaterials based on computer-aided design. However, there are still significant challenges facing the development of printable biomaterials that promote robust formation and controlled 3D organization of microvascular networks. This review provides a thorough examination and critical evaluation of contemporary biomaterials and their specific roles in bioprinting microvasculature. We first provide an overview of bioprinting methods and techniques that enable the fabrication of microvessels. We then offer an in-depth critical analysis on the use of hydrogel bioinks for printing microvascularized constructs within the framework of current bioprinting modalities. We end with a review of recent applications of bioprinted microvasculature for disease modeling, drug testing, and tissue engineering, and conclude with an outlook on the challenges facing the evolution of biomaterials design for bioprinting microvasculature with physiological complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan W. Barrs
- Bioengineering Department, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Jia Jia
- Bioengineering Department, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Sophia E. Silver
- Bioengineering Department, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Michael Yost
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Ying Mei
- Bioengineering Department, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
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24
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Abstract
The field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has made numerous advances in recent years in the arena of fabricating multifunctional, three-dimensional (3D) tissue constructs. This can be attributed to novel approaches in the bioprinting of stem cells. There are expansive options in bioprinting technology that have become more refined and specialized over the years, and stem cells address many limitations in cell source, expansion, and development of bioengineered tissue constructs. While bioprinted stem cells present an opportunity to replicate physiological microenvironments with precision, the future of this practice relies heavily on the optimization of the cellular microenvironment. To fabricate tissue constructs that are useful in replicating physiological conditions in laboratory settings, or in preparation for transplantation to a living host, the microenvironment must mimic conditions that allow bioprinted stem cells to proliferate, differentiate, and migrate. The advances of bioprinting stem cells and directing cell fate have the potential to provide feasible and translatable approach to creating complex tissues and organs. This review will examine the methods through which bioprinted stem cells are differentiated into desired cell lineages through biochemical, biological, and biomechanical techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren N. West-Livingston
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
| | - Jihoon Park
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
| | - Sang Jin Lee
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
| | - Anthony Atala
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
| | - James J. Yoo
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
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25
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Veldhuizen J, Cutts J, Brafman DA, Migrino RQ, Nikkhah M. Engineering anisotropic human stem cell-derived three-dimensional cardiac tissue on-a-chip. Biomaterials 2020; 256:120195. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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26
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Cristallini C, Vitale E, Giachino C, Rastaldo R. Nanoengineering in Cardiac Regeneration: Looking Back and Going Forward. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2020; 10:E1587. [PMID: 32806691 DOI: 10.3390/nano10081587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
To deliver on the promise of cardiac regeneration, an integration process between an emerging field, nanomedicine, and a more consolidated one, tissue engineering, has begun. Our work aims at summarizing some of the most relevant prevailing cases of nanotechnological approaches applied to tissue engineering with a specific interest in cardiac regenerative medicine, as well as delineating some of the most compelling forthcoming orientations. Specifically, this review starts with a brief statement on the relevant clinical need, and then debates how nanotechnology can be combined with tissue engineering in the scope of mimicking a complex tissue like the myocardium and its natural extracellular matrix (ECM). The interaction of relevant stem, precursor, and differentiated cardiac cells with nanoengineered scaffolds is thoroughly presented. Another correspondingly relevant area of experimental study enclosing both nanotechnology and cardiac regeneration, e.g., nanoparticle applications in cardiac tissue engineering, is also discussed.
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27
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Lee JM, Yeong WY. Engineering macroscale cell alignment through coordinated toolpath design using support-assisted 3D bioprinting. J R Soc Interface 2020; 17:20200294. [PMID: 32674709 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2020.0294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aligned cells provide direction-dependent mechanical properties that influence biological and mechanical function in native tissues. Alignment techniques such as casting and uniaxial stretching cannot fully replicate the complex fibre orientation of native tissue such as the heart. In this study, bioprinting is used to direct the orientation of cell alignment. A 0°-90° grid structure was printed to assess the robustness of the support-assisted bioprinting technique. The variation in the angles of the grid pattern is designed to mimic the differences in fibril orientation of native tissues, where angles of cell alignment vary across the different layers. Through bioprinting of a cell-hydrogel mixture, C2C12 cells displayed directed alignment along the longitudinal axis of printed struts. Cell alignment is induced through firstly establishing structurally stable constructs (i.e. distinct 0°-90° structures) and secondly, allowing cells to dynamically remodel the bioprinted construct. Herein reports a method of inducing a macroscale level of controlled cell alignment with angle variation. This was not achievable both in terms of methods (i.e. conventional alignment techniques such as stretching and electrical stimulation) and magnitude (i.e. hydrogel features with less than 100 µm features).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Min Lee
- Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP), Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Wai Yee Yeong
- Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP), Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
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28
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Xu C, Okpokwasili C, Huang Y, Shi X, Wu J, Liao J, Tang L, Hong Y. Optimizing Anisotropic Polyurethane Scaffolds to Mechanically Match with Native Myocardium. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2020; 6:2757-2769. [PMID: 33313394 PMCID: PMC7725265 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Biodegradable cardiac patch is desirable to possess mechanical properties mimicking native myocardium for heart infarction treatment. We fabricated a series of anisotropic and biodegradable polyurethane porous scaffolds via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) and tailored their mechanical properties by using various polyurethanes with different soft segments and varying polymer concentrations. The uniaxial mechanical properties, suture retention strength, ball-burst strength, and biaxial mechanical properties of the anisotropic porous scaffolds were optimized to mechanically match native myocardium. The optimal anisotropic scaffold had a ball burst strength (20.7 ± 1.5 N) comparable to that of native porcine myocardium (20.4 ± 6.0 N) and showed anisotropic behavior close to biaxial stretching behavior of the native porcine myocardium. Furthermore, the optimized porous scaffold was combined with a porcine myocardium-derived hydrogel to form a biohybrid scaffold. The biohybrid scaffold showed morphologies similar to the decellularized porcine myocardial matrix. This combination did not affect the mechanical properties of the synthetic scaffold alone. After in vivo rat subcutaneous implantation, the biohybrid scaffolds showed minimal immune response and exhibited higher cell penetration than the polyurethane scaffold alone. This biohybrid scaffold with biomimetic mechanics and good tissue compatibility would have great potential to be applied as a biodegradable acellular cardiac patch for myocardial infarction treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cancan Xu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Chuka Okpokwasili
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yihui Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Xiaodan Shi
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jinglei Wu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jun Liao
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Liping Tang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yi Hong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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29
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Thavandiran N, Hale C, Blit P, Sandberg ML, McElvain ME, Gagliardi M, Sun B, Witty A, Graham G, Do VTH, Bakooshli MA, Le H, Ostblom J, McEwen S, Chau E, Prowse A, Fernandes I, Norman A, Gilbert PM, Keller G, Tagari P, Xu H, Radisic M, Zandstra PW. Functional arrays of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac microtissues. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6919. [PMID: 32332814 PMCID: PMC7181791 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62955-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
To accelerate the cardiac drug discovery pipeline, we set out to develop a platform that would be capable of quantifying tissue-level functions such as contractile force and be amenable to standard multiwell-plate manipulations. We report a 96-well-based array of 3D human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiac microtissues - termed Cardiac MicroRings (CaMiRi) - in custom 3D-print-molded multiwell plates capable of contractile force measurement. Within each well, two elastomeric microcantilevers are situated above a circumferential ramp. The wells are seeded with cell-laden collagen, which, in response to the gradual slope of the circumferential ramp, self-organizes around tip-gated microcantilevers to form contracting CaMiRi. The contractile force exerted by the CaMiRi is measured and calculated using the deflection of the cantilevers. Platform responses were robust and comparable across wells, and we used it to determine an optimal tissue formulation. We validated the contractile force response of CaMiRi using selected cardiotropic compounds with known effects. Additionally, we developed automated protocols for CaMiRi seeding, image acquisition, and analysis to enable the measurement of contractile force with increased throughput. The unique tissue fabrication properties of the platform, and the consequent effects on tissue function, were demonstrated upon adding hPSC-derived epicardial cells to the system. This platform represents an open-source contractile force screening system useful for drug screening and tissue engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimalan Thavandiran
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher Hale
- Amgen Discovery Research, Amgen Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Mark Gagliardi
- McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bo Sun
- McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alec Witty
- McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Mohsen Afshar Bakooshli
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hon Le
- Amgen Discovery Research, Amgen Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joel Ostblom
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Samuel McEwen
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erik Chau
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Ian Fernandes
- McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Penney M Gilbert
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gordon Keller
- McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Philip Tagari
- Amgen Discovery Research, Amgen Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Han Xu
- A2 Biotherapeutics Inc., Agoura Hills, CA, USA.
| | - Milica Radisic
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. .,Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. .,Heart and Stroke/Richard Lewar Centre of Excellence, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Peter W Zandstra
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. .,CCRM, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. .,Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. .,Michael Smith Laboratories, School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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30
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Zwi-Dantsis L, Wang B, Marijon C, Zonetti S, Ferrini A, Massi L, Stuckey DJ, Terracciano CM, Stevens MM. Remote Magnetic Nanoparticle Manipulation Enables the Dynamic Patterning of Cardiac Tissues. Adv Mater 2020; 32:e1904598. [PMID: 31833108 PMCID: PMC7015704 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201904598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The ability to manipulate cellular organization within soft materials has important potential in biomedicine and regenerative medicine; however, it often requires complex fabrication procedures. Here, a simple, cost-effective, and one-step approach that enables the control of cell orientation within 3D collagen hydrogels is developed to dynamically create various tailored microstructures of cardiac tissues. This is achieved by incorporating iron oxide nanoparticles into human cardiomyocytes and applying a short-term external magnetic field to orient the cells along the applied field to impart different shapes without any mechanical support. The patterned constructs are viable and functional, can be detected by T2 *-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, and induce no alteration to normal cardiac function after grafting onto rat hearts. This strategy paves the way to creating customized, macroscale, 3D tissue constructs with various cell-types for therapeutic and bioengineering applications, as well as providing powerful models for investigating tissue behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limor Zwi-Dantsis
- Department of Materials, Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Brian Wang
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, The Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Camille Marijon
- Department of Materials, Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Simone Zonetti
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Arianna Ferrini
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, The Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Lucia Massi
- Department of Materials, Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Daniel J. Stuckey
- Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Cesare M. Terracciano
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, The Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Molly M. Stevens
- Department of Materials, Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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31
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Kaiser NJ, Bellows JA, Kant RJ, Coulombe KLK. Digital Design and Automated Fabrication of Bespoke Collagen Microfiber Scaffolds. Tissue Eng Part C Methods 2019; 25:687-700. [PMID: 31017039 PMCID: PMC6859695 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tec.2018.0379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A great variety of natural and synthetic polymer materials have been utilized in soft tissue engineering as extracellular matrix (ECM) materials. Natural polymers, such as collagen and fibrin hydrogels, have experienced especially broad adoption due to the high density of cell adhesion sites compared to their synthetic counterparts, ready availability, and ease of use. However, these and other hydrogels lack the structural and mechanical anisotropy that define the ECM in many tissues, such as skeletal and cardiac muscle, tendon, and cartilage. Herein, we present a facile, low-cost, and automated method of preparing collagen microfibers, organizing these fibers into precisely controlled mesh designs, and embedding these meshes in a bulk hydrogel, creating a composite biomaterial suitable for a wide variety of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. With the assistance of custom software tools described herein, mesh patterns are designed by a digital graphical user interface and translated into protocols that are executed by a custom mesh collection and organization device. We demonstrate a high degree of precision and reproducibility in both fiber and mesh fabrication, evaluate single fiber mechanical properties, and provide evidence of collagen self-assembly in the microfibers under standard cell culture conditions. This work offers a powerful, flexible platform for the study of tissue engineering and cell material interactions, as well as the development of therapeutic biomaterials in the form of custom collagen microfiber patterns that will be accessible to all through the methods and techniques described here. Impact Statement Collagen microfiber meshes have immediate and broad applications in tissue engineering research and show high potential for later use in clinical therapeutics due to their compositional similarities to native extracellular matrix and tunable structural and mechanical characteristics. Physical and biological characterizations of these meshes demonstrate physiologically relevant mechanical properties, native-like collagen structure, and cytocompatibility. The methods presented herein not only describe a process through which custom collagen microfiber meshes can be fabricated but also provide the reader with detailed device plans and software tools to produce their own bespoke meshes through a precise, consistent, and automated process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Kaiser
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Jessica A Bellows
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Rajeev J Kant
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Kareen L K Coulombe
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
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32
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Wanjare M, Kawamura M, Hu C, Alcazar C, Wang H, Woo YJ, Huang NF. Vascularization of Engineered Spatially Patterned Myocardial Tissue Derived From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells in vivo. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2019; 7:208. [PMID: 31552234 PMCID: PMC6733921 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Tissue engineering approaches to regenerate myocardial tissue after disease or injury is promising. Integration with the host vasculature is critical to the survival and therapeutic efficacy of engineered myocardial tissues. To create more physiologically oriented engineered myocardial tissue with organized cellular arrangements and endothelial interactions, randomly oriented or parallel-aligned microfibrous polycaprolactone scaffolds were seeded with human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iCMs) and/or endothelial cells (iECs). The resultant engineered myocardial tissues were assessed in a subcutaneous transplantation model and in a myocardial injury model to evaluate the effect of scaffold anisotropy and endothelial interactions on vascular integration of the engineered myocardial tissue. Here we demonstrated that engineered myocardial tissue composed of randomly oriented scaffolds seeded with iECs promoted the survival of iECs for up to 14 days. However, engineered myocardial tissue composed of aligned scaffolds preferentially guided the organization of host capillaries along the direction of the microfibers. In a myocardial injury model, epicardially transplanted engineered myocardial tissues composed of randomly oriented scaffolds seeded with iCMs augmented microvessel formation leading to a significantly higher arteriole density after 4 weeks, compared to engineered tissues derived from aligned scaffolds. These findings that the scaffold microtopography imparts differential effect on revascularization, in which randomly oriented scaffolds promote pro-survival and pro-angiogenic effects, and aligned scaffolds direct the formation of anisotropic vessels. These findings suggest a dominant role of scaffold topography over endothelial co-culture in modulating cellular survival, vascularization, and microvessel architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen Wanjare
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, United States.,Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Masashi Kawamura
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Caroline Hu
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Cynthia Alcazar
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Hanjay Wang
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Y Joseph Woo
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.,Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Ngan F Huang
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, United States.,Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.,Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
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33
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Das S, Kim SW, Choi YJ, Lee S, Lee SH, Kong JS, Park HJ, Cho DW, Jang J. Decellularized extracellular matrix bioinks and the external stimuli to enhance cardiac tissue development in vitro. Acta Biomater 2019; 95:188-200. [PMID: 30986526 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2019.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Engineered heart tissue (EHT) has ample potential as a model for in vitro tissue modeling or tissue regeneration. Using 3D cell printing technology, various hydrogels have been utilized as bioinks to fabricate EHT to date. However, its efficacy has remained limited due to poor functional properties of the cultured cardiomyocytes stemming from a lack of proper microenvironmental cues. Specifically, the surrounding matrix plays a key role in modulating cardiomyocyte differentiation and maturation. Recently, the use of heart tissue-derived extracellular matrix (hdECM) bioink has come to be seen as one of the most promising candidates due to its functional and structural similarities to native tissue. Here, we demonstrated a correlation between the synthesis of cardiomyocyte-specific proteins and the surrounding microenvironment irrespective of the similar material chemistry. Primary cardiomyocytes isolated from neonatal rats were encapsulated in different composition and concentration of bioinks (hdECM and collagen). The bioinks were sequentially printed using an extrusion-based 3D bioprinter and cultured either statically or dynamically. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation revealed enhanced maturation of cardiomyocytes in hdECM, unlike the collagen group under similar culture conditions. Specifically, 3D-printed EHT using a low concentration of hdECM promoted early differentiation of cardiomyocytes. Hence, the present study provides experimental insights regarding the establishment of a 3D-printed cardiac tissue model, highlighting that the matrix and the culture microenvironment can be decisive factors for cell-material interactions that affect cardiomyocyte maturation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The regulation of signal transduction and responses to extracellular matrices (ECMs) is of particular relevance in tissue maturation. In particular, there is a clear need to understand the structural and phenotypical modulation in cardiomyocytes with respect to the surrounding microenvironment. Exploration of the key regulators, such as the compositional and the biophysical properties of bioinks associated directly with cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions would assist with the fabrication of cardiac tissue constructs with enhanced functionality. Hence, we documented the synergistic effects of surrounding matrices and culture conditions on the maturation of cardiomyocytes. Additionally, we highlighted the potential of using 3D bioprinting techniques to fabricate uniformly aligned cardiac constructs for mid- to high-throughput drug testing platforms that have great reproducibility and versatility.
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34
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Allen ACB, Barone E, Momtahan N, Crosby CO, Tu C, Deng W, Polansky K, Zoldan J. Temporal Impact of Substrate Anisotropy on Differentiating Cardiomyocyte Alignment and Functionality. Tissue Eng Part A 2019; 25:1426-1437. [PMID: 30727863 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tea.2018.0258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Anisotropic biomaterials can affect cell function by driving cell alignment, which is critical for cardiac engineered tissues. Recent work, however, has shown that pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes may self-align over long periods of time. To determine how the degree of biomaterial substrate anisotropy impacts differentiating cardiomyocyte structure and function, we differentiated mouse embryonic stem cells to cardiomyocytes on nonaligned, semialigned, and aligned fibrous substrates and evaluated cell alignment, contractile displacement, and calcium transient synchronicity over time. Although cardiomyocyte gene expression was not affected by fiber alignment, we observed gradient- and threshold-based differences in cardiomyocyte alignment and function. Cardiomyocyte alignment increased with the degree of fiber alignment in a gradient-based manner at early time points and in a threshold-based manner at later time points. Calcium transient synchronization tightly followed cardiomyocyte alignment behavior, allowing highly anisotropic biomaterials to drive calcium transient synchronization within 8 days, while such synchronized cardiomyocyte behavior required 20 days of culture on nonaligned biomaterials. In contrast, cardiomyocyte contractile displacement had no directional preference on day 8 yet became anisotropic in the direction of fiber alignment on aligned fibers by day 20. Biomaterial anisotropy impact on differentiating cardiomyocyte structure and function is temporally dependent. Impact Statement This work demonstrates that biomaterial anisotropy can quickly drive desired pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte structure and function. Such an understanding of matrix anisotropy's time-dependent influence on stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte function will have future applications in the development of cardiac cell therapies and in vitro cardiac tissues for drug testing. Furthermore, our work has broader implications concerning biomaterial anisotropy effects on other cell types in which function relies on alignment, such as myocytes and neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia C B Allen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Elissa Barone
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Nima Momtahan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Cody O Crosby
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Chengyi Tu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Wei Deng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Krista Polansky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Janet Zoldan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture is often mentioned in the context of regenerative medicine, for example, for the replacement of ischemic myocardium with tissue-engineered muscle constructs. Additionally, 3D cell culture is used, although less commonly, in basic research, toxicology, and drug development. These applications have recently benefited from innovations in stem cell technologies allowing the mass-production of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes or other cardiovascular cells, and from new culturing methods including organ-on-chip and bioprinting technologies. On the analysis side, improved sensors, computer-assisted image analysis, and data collection techniques have lowered the bar for switching to 3D cell culture models. Nevertheless, 3D cell culture is not as widespread or standardized as traditional cell culture methods using monolayers of cells on flat surfaces. The many possibilities of 3D cell culture, but also its limitations, drawbacks and methodological pitfalls, are less well-known. This article reviews currently used cardiovascular 3D cell culture production methods and analysis techniques for the investigation of cardiotoxicity, in drug development and for disease modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Zuppinger
- Cardiology, Department of Biomedical Research, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
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36
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Dwenger M, Kowalski WJ, Ye F, Yuan F, Tinney JP, Setozaki S, Nakane T, Masumoto H, Campbell P, Guido W, Keller BB. Chronic optical pacing conditioning of h-iPSC engineered cardiac tissues. J Tissue Eng 2019; 10:2041731419841748. [PMID: 31024681 PMCID: PMC6472158 DOI: 10.1177/2041731419841748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The immaturity of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived engineered cardiac
tissues limits their ability to regenerate damaged myocardium and to serve as
robust in vitro models for human disease and drug toxicity
studies. Several chronic biomimetic conditioning protocols, including mechanical
stretch, perfusion, and/or electrical stimulation promote engineered cardiac
tissue maturation but have significant technical limitations. Non-contacting
chronic optical stimulation using heterologously expressed channelrhodopsin
light-gated ion channels, termed optogenetics, may be an advantageous
alternative to chronic invasive electrical stimulation for engineered cardiac
tissue conditioning. We designed proof-of-principle experiments to successfully
transfect human induced pluripotent stem cell derived engineered cardiac tissues
with a desensitization resistant, chimeric channelrhodopsin protein, and then
optically paced engineered cardiac tissues to accelerate maturation. We
transfected human induced pluripotent stem cell engineered cardiac tissues using
an adeno-associated virus packaged chimeric channelrhodopsin and then verified
optically paced by whole cell patch clamp. Engineered cardiac tissues were then
chronically optically paced above their intrinsic beat rates in
vitro from day 7 to 14. Chronically optically paced resulted in
improved engineered cardiac tissue electrophysiological properties and subtle
changes in the expression of some cardiac relevant genes, though active force
generation and histology were unchanged. These results validate the feasibility
of a novel chronically optically paced paradigm to explore non-invasive and
scalable optically paced–induced engineered cardiac tissue maturation
strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Dwenger
- Kosair Charities Pediatric Heart Research Program, Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - William J Kowalski
- Kosair Charities Pediatric Heart Research Program, Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Laboratory of Stem Cell and Neurovascular Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Fei Ye
- Kosair Charities Pediatric Heart Research Program, Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Fangping Yuan
- Kosair Charities Pediatric Heart Research Program, Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Joseph P Tinney
- Kosair Charities Pediatric Heart Research Program, Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Shuji Setozaki
- Kosair Charities Pediatric Heart Research Program, Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Okamura Memorial Hospital, Shimizu, Japan
| | - Takeichiro Nakane
- Kosair Charities Pediatric Heart Research Program, Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Cell Growth and Differentiation, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Masumoto
- Department of Cell Growth and Differentiation, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.,RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), Wako, Japan
| | - Peter Campbell
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - William Guido
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Bradley B Keller
- Kosair Charities Pediatric Heart Research Program, Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
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37
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Fang Y, Zhang T, Zhang L, Gong W, Sun W. Biomimetic design and fabrication of scaffolds integrating oriented micro-pores with branched channel networks for myocardial tissue engineering. Biofabrication 2019; 11:035004. [PMID: 30870827 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ab0fd3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The ability to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) thick vascularized myocardial tissue could enable scientific and technological advances in tissue engineering and drug screening, and may accelerate its application in myocardium repair. In this study, we developed a novel biomimetic scaffold integrating oriented micro-pores with branched channel networks to mimic the anisotropy and vasculature of native myocardium. The oriented micro-pores were fabricated using an 'Oriented Thermally Induced Phase Separation (OTIPS)' technique, and the channel network was produced by embedding and subsequently dissolving a 3D-printed carbohydrate template after crosslinking. Micro-holes were incorporated on the wall of channels, which greatly enhanced the permeability of channels. The effect of the sacrificial template on the formation of oriented micro- pores was assessed. The mechanical properties of the scaffold were tuned by varying the temperature gradient and chitosan/collagen ratio to match the specific stiffness of native heart tissue. The engineered cardiac tissue achieved synchronized beating with electrical stimulation. Calcium transient results suggested the formation of connection between cardiomyocytes within scaffold. All the results demonstrated that the reported scaffold has the potential to induce formation of a perfusable vascular network and to create thick vascularized cardiac tissue that may advance further clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongcong Fang
- Biomanufacturing Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China. Biomanufacturing and Rapid Forming Technology Key Laboratory of Beijing, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China. 'Biomanufacturing and Engineering Living Systems' Innovation International Talents Base (111 Base), Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
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38
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Savoji H, Mohammadi MH, Rafatian N, Toroghi MK, Wang EY, Zhao Y, Korolj A, Ahadian S, Radisic M. Cardiovascular disease models: A game changing paradigm in drug discovery and screening. Biomaterials 2019; 198:3-26. [PMID: 30343824 PMCID: PMC6397087 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.09.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Although investment in drug discovery and development has been sky-rocketing, the number of approved drugs has been declining. Cardiovascular toxicity due to therapeutic drug use claims the highest incidence and severity of adverse drug reactions in late-stage clinical development. Therefore, to address this issue, new, additional, replacement and combinatorial approaches are needed to fill the gap in effective drug discovery and screening. The motivation for developing accurate, predictive models is twofold: first, to study and discover new treatments for cardiac pathologies which are leading in worldwide morbidity and mortality rates; and second, to screen for adverse drug reactions on the heart, a primary risk in drug development. In addition to in vivo animal models, in vitro and in silico models have been recently proposed to mimic the physiological conditions of heart and vasculature. Here, we describe current in vitro, in vivo, and in silico platforms for modelling healthy and pathological cardiac tissues and their advantages and disadvantages for drug screening and discovery applications. We review the pathophysiology and the underlying pathways of different cardiac diseases, as well as the new tools being developed to facilitate their study. We finally suggest a roadmap for employing these non-animal platforms in assessing drug cardiotoxicity and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houman Savoji
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 170 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada; Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Mohammad Hossein Mohammadi
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 170 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada; Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada; Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Naimeh Rafatian
- Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Masood Khaksar Toroghi
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Erika Yan Wang
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 170 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Yimu Zhao
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 170 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada; Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Anastasia Korolj
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 170 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada; Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Samad Ahadian
- Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Milica Radisic
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 170 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada; Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada; Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada.
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39
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Guterman T, Ing NL, Fleischer S, Rehak P, Basavalingappa V, Hunashal Y, Dongre R, Raghothama S, Král P, Dvir T, Hochbaum AI, Gazit E. Electrical Conductivity, Selective Adhesion, and Biocompatibility in Bacteria-Inspired Peptide-Metal Self-Supporting Nanocomposites. Adv Mater 2019; 31:e1807285. [PMID: 30644148 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201807285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial type IV pili (T4P) are polymeric protein nanofibers that have diverse biological roles. Their unique physicochemical properties mark them as a candidate biomaterial for various applications, yet difficulties in producing native T4P hinder their utilization. Recent effort to mimic the T4P of the metal-reducing Geobacter sulfurreducens bacterium led to the design of synthetic peptide building blocks, which self-assemble into T4P-like nanofibers. Here, it is reported that the T4P-like peptide nanofibers efficiently bind metal oxide particles and reduce Au ions analogously to their native counterparts, and thus give rise to versatile and multifunctional peptide-metal nanocomposites. Focusing on the interaction with Au ions, a combination of experimental and computational methods provides mechanistic insight into the formation of an exceptionally dense Au nanoparticle (AuNP) decoration of the nanofibers. Characterization of the thus-formed peptide-AuNPs nanocomposite reveals enhanced thermal stability, electrical conductivity from the single-fiber level up, and substrate-selective adhesion. Exploring its potential applications, it is demonstrated that the peptide-AuNPs nanocomposite can act as a reusable catalytic coating or form self-supporting immersible films of desired shapes. The films scaffold the assembly of cardiac cells into synchronized patches, and present static charge detection capabilities at the macroscale. The study presents a novel T4P-inspired biometallic material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Guterman
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Nicole L Ing
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Sharon Fleischer
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Pavel Rehak
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Vasantha Basavalingappa
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Yamanappa Hunashal
- NMR Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Ramachandra Dongre
- NMR Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | | | - Petr Král
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
- Department of Physics and Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Tal Dvir
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, and Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Allon I Hochbaum
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
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40
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Gold K, Gaharwar AK, Jain A. Emerging trends in multiscale modeling of vascular pathophysiology: Organ-on-a-chip and 3D printing. Biomaterials 2019; 196:2-17. [PMID: 30072038 PMCID: PMC6344330 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Most biomedical and pharmaceutical research of the human vascular system aims to unravel the complex mechanisms that drive disease progression from molecular to organ levels. The knowledge gained can then be used to innovate diagnostic and treatment strategies which can ultimately be determined precisely for patients. Despite major advancements, current modeling strategies are often limited at identifying, quantifying, and dissecting specific cellular and molecular targets that regulate human vascular diseases. Therefore, development of multiscale modeling approaches are needed that can advance our knowledge and facilitate the design of next-generation therapeutic approaches in vascular diseases. This article critically reviews animal models, static in vitro systems, and dynamic in vitro culture systems currently used to model vascular diseases. A leading emphasis on the potential of emerging approaches, specifically organ-on-a-chip and three-dimensional (3D) printing, to recapitulate the innate human vascular physiology and anatomy is described. The applications of these approaches and future outlook in designing and screening novel therapeutics are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karli Gold
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Akhilesh K Gaharwar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Department of Material Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Center for Remote Health and Technologies and Systems, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| | - Abhishek Jain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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41
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Pomeroy JE, Helfer A, Bursac N. Biomaterializing the promise of cardiac tissue engineering. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 42:107353. [PMID: 30794878 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
During an average individual's lifespan, the human heart pumps nearly 200 million liters of blood delivered by approximately 3 billion heartbeats. Therefore, it is not surprising that native myocardium under this incredible demand is extraordinarily complex, both structurally and functionally. As a result, successful engineering of adult-mimetic functional cardiac tissues is likely to require utilization of highly specialized biomaterials representative of the native extracellular microenvironment. There is currently no single biomaterial that fully recapitulates the architecture or the biochemical and biomechanical properties of adult myocardium. However, significant effort has gone toward designing highly functional materials and tissue constructs that may one day provide a ready source of cardiac tissue grafts to address the overwhelming burden of cardiomyopathic disease. In the near term, biomaterial-based scaffolds are helping to generate in vitro systems for querying the mechanisms underlying human heart homeostasis and disease and discovering new, patient-specific therapeutics. When combined with advances in minimally-invasive cardiac delivery, ongoing efforts will likely lead to scalable cell and biomaterial technologies for use in clinical practice. In this review, we describe recent progress in the field of cardiac tissue engineering with particular emphasis on use of biomaterials for therapeutic tissue design and delivery.
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Navaei A, Rahmani Eliato K, Ros R, Migrino RQ, Willis BC, Nikkhah M. The influence of electrically conductive and non-conductive nanocomposite scaffolds on the maturation and excitability of engineered cardiac tissues. Biomater Sci 2019; 7:585-595. [DOI: 10.1039/c8bm01050a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
We developed different classes of hydrogels, with conductive and non-conductive nanomaterials, to study cardiac tissue maturation and excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Navaei
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering (SBHSE)
- Arizona State University
- Tempe
- USA
| | | | - Robert Ros
- Department of Physics
- Arizona State University
- Tempe
- USA
- Center for Biological Physics
| | - Raymond Q. Migrino
- Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System
- Phoenix
- USA
- University of Arizona College of Medicine
- Phoenix
| | - Brigham C. Willis
- University of Arizona College of Medicine
- Phoenix
- USA
- Phoenix Children's Hospital
- Phoenix
| | - Mehdi Nikkhah
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering (SBHSE)
- Arizona State University
- Tempe
- USA
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43
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Mannhardt I, Warncke C, Trieu HK, Müller J, Eschenhagen T. Piezo-bending actuators for isometric or auxotonic contraction analysis of engineered heart tissue. J Tissue Eng Regen Med 2018; 13:3-11. [PMID: 30334614 DOI: 10.1002/term.2755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Engineered heart tissue (EHT) has proven as valuable tool for disease modelling, drug safety screening, and cardiac repair. Especially in combination with the stem cell technology, these in vitro models of the human heart have generated interest not only of basic cardiovascular researchers but also of regulatory authorities responsible for drug safety. A main limitation of 3D-based assays for evaluating cardiotoxicity is their limited throughput. We integrated piezo-bending actuators in a 24-well system for the generation of strip-like rat and human EHT attached to hollow, elastic silicone posts. Muscle contractions of EHTs induced a measurable electrical current in the piezo-bending actuators that could be analysed for contraction amplitude, frequency, and contraction and relaxation kinetics. Compared with the standard video-optical analysis of contractile activity, the new system allows for (a) the analysis of several tissues in parallel, (b) switching between auxotonic and isometric contractions by inserting a stiff metal post in the silicone post opposing the piezo actuator, (c) continuous measurement over days with low data volume (megabyte), (d) automated measurement without the necessity of adjustment of tissue position for video-optical analysis, (e) reduced complexity and costs, (f) high sensitivity of contraction detection, (g) calculation of absolute contraction force, and (h) suitability for variable tissue geometries. The new set-up for contraction analysis based on piezo-bending actuators is a promising new method for the parallel screening of EHT for pharmacological drug effects and other applications of muscle tissue engineering (e.g., skeletal muscle engineering or cardiac repair).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingra Mannhardt
- Department of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cardiovascular Research Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Germany
| | - Christoph Warncke
- Institute of Microsystems Technology, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hoc Khiem Trieu
- Institute of Microsystems Technology, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Müller
- Institute of Microsystems Technology, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Eschenhagen
- Department of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cardiovascular Research Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Germany
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Abstract
Nano- and microscale topographical cues have become recognized as major regulators of cell growth, migration, and phenotype. In tissue engineering, the complex and anisotropic architecture of culture platforms is aimed to imitate the high degree of spatial organization of the extracellular matrix and basement membrane components. Here, we developed a method of creating a novel, magnetically aligned, three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture matrix with three distinct classes of anisotropy-surface topography, microstructure, and physical properties. Alginate-stabilized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were added to a cross-linked alginate solution, and an external magnetic field of about 2400 G was applied during freezing to form the aligned macroporous scaffold structure. The resultant scaffold exhibited anisotropic topographic features on the submicron scale, the directionality of the pore shape, and increased scaffold stiffness in the direction of magnetic alignment. These scaffold features were modulated by an alteration in the impregnated MNP size and concentration, as quantified by electron microscopy, advanced image processing analyses, and rheological methods. Mouse myoblasts (C2C12) cultured on the magnetically aligned scaffolds, demonstrated co-oriented morphology in the direction of the magnetic alignment. In summary, magnetic alignment introduces several degrees of anisotropy in the scaffold structure, providing diverse mechanical cues that can affect seeded cells and further tissue development. Multiscale anisotropy together with the capability of the MNP-containing alginate scaffolds to undergo reversible shape deformation in an oscillating magnetic field creates interesting opportunities for multifarious stimulation of cells and functional tissue development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Margolis
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Beer-Sheva 8410501 , Israel
| | - Boris Polyak
- Department of Surgery, Pharmacology, and Physiology , Drexel University , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19102 , United States
| | - Smadar Cohen
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Beer-Sheva 8410501 , Israel
- The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Beer-Sheva 8410501 , Israel
- Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell (RMSC) Research Center , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Beer-Sheva 8410501 , Israel
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45
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Bueno-Orovio A. Commentary: Atrial Rotor Dynamics Under Complex Fractional Order Diffusion. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1386. [PMID: 30337882 PMCID: PMC6180174 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Ariyasinghe NR, Lyra-Leite DM, McCain ML. Engineering cardiac microphysiological systems to model pathological extracellular matrix remodeling. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2018; 315:H771-H789. [PMID: 29906229 PMCID: PMC6230901 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00110.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 05/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Many cardiovascular diseases are associated with pathological remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the myocardium. ECM remodeling is a complex, multifactorial process that often contributes to declines in myocardial function and progression toward heart failure. However, the direct effects of the many forms of ECM remodeling on myocardial cell and tissue function remain elusive, in part because conventional model systems used to investigate these relationships lack robust experimental control over the ECM. To address these shortcomings, microphysiological systems are now being developed and implemented to establish direct relationships between distinct features in the ECM and myocardial function with unprecedented control and resolution in vitro. In this review, we will first highlight the most prominent characteristics of ECM remodeling in cardiovascular disease and describe how these features can be mimicked with synthetic and natural biomaterials that offer independent control over multiple ECM-related parameters, such as rigidity and composition. We will then detail innovative microfabrication techniques that enable precise regulation of cellular architecture in two and three dimensions. We will also describe new approaches for quantifying multiple aspects of myocardial function in vitro, such as contractility, action potential propagation, and metabolism. Together, these collective technologies implemented as cardiac microphysiological systems will continue to uncover important relationships between pathological ECM remodeling and myocardial cell and tissue function, leading to new fundamental insights into cardiovascular disease, improved human disease models, and novel therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nethika R Ariyasinghe
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California
| | - Davi M Lyra-Leite
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California
| | - Megan L McCain
- Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California
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Jackman C, Li H, Bursac N. Long-term contractile activity and thyroid hormone supplementation produce engineered rat myocardium with adult-like structure and function. Acta Biomater 2018; 78:98-110. [PMID: 30086384 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The field of cardiac tissue engineering has developed rapidly, but structural and functional immaturity of engineered heart tissues hinder their widespread use. Here, we show that a combination of low-rate (0.2 Hz) contractile activity and thyroid hormone (T3) supplementation significantly promote structural and functional maturation of engineered rat cardiac tissues ("cardiobundles"). The progressive maturation of cardiobundles during first 2 weeks of culture resulted in cell cycle exit and loss of spontaneous activity, which in longer culture yielded decreased contractile function. Maintaining a low level of contractile activity by 0.2 Hz pacing between culture weeks 3 and 5, combined with T3 treatment, yielded significant growth of cardiobundle and myocyte cross-sectional areas (by 68% and 32%, respectively), increased nuclei numbers (by 22%), improved twitch force (by 39%), shortened action potential duration (by 32%), polarized N-cadherin distribution, and switch from immature (slow skeletal) to mature (fast) cardiac troponin I isoform expression. Along with advanced functional output (conduction velocity 53.7 ± 0.8 cm/s, specific force 70.1 ± 5.8 mN/mm2), quantitative ultrastructural analyses revealed similar metrics and abundance of sarcomeres, T-tubules, M-bands, and intercalated disks compared to native age-matched (5-week) and adult (3-month) ventricular myocytes. Unlike 0.2 Hz regime, chronic 1 Hz pacing resulted in significant cardiomyocyte loss and formation of necrotic core despite the use of dynamic culture. Overall, our results demonstrate remarkable ultrastructural and functional maturation of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes in 3D culture and reveal importance of combined biophysical and hormonal inputs for in vitro engineering of adult-like myocardium. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Compared to human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, neonatal rat ventricular myocytes show advanced maturation state which makes them suitable for in vitro studies of postnatal cardiac development. Still, maturation process from a neonatal to an adult cardiomyocyte has not been recapitulated in rodent cell cultures. Here, we show that low-frequency pacing and thyroid hormone supplementation of 3D engineered neonatal rat cardiac tissues synergistically yield significant increase in cell and tissue volume, robust formation of T-tubules and M-lines, improved sarcomere organization, and faster and more forceful contractions. To the best of our knowledge, 5-week old engineered cardiac tissues described in this study are the first that exhibit both ultrastructural and functional characteristics approaching or matching those of adult ventricular myocardium.
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Sanzari I, Humphrey EJ, Dinelli F, Terracciano CM, Prodromakis T. Effect of patterned polyacrylamide hydrogel on morphology and orientation of cultured NRVMs. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11991. [PMID: 30097609 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30360-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently demonstrated that patterned Parylene C films could be effectively used as a mask for directly copolymerizing proteins on polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAm). In this work, we have proved the applicability of this technique for studying the effect such platforms render on neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs). Firstly, we have characterised topographically and mechanically the scaffolds in liquid at the nano-scale level. We thus establish that such platforms have physical properties that closely mimics the in vivo extracellular environment of cells. We have then studied the cell morphology and physiology by comparing cultures on flat uniformly-covered and collagen-patterned scaffolds. We show that micro-patterns promote the elongation of cells along the principal axis of the ridges coated with collagen. In several cases, cells also tend to create bridges across the grooves. We have finally studied cell contraction, monitoring Ca2+ cycling at a certain stimulation. Cells seeded on patterned scaffolds present significant responses in comparison to the isotropic ones.
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Gokhale TA, Asfour H, Verma S, Bursac N, Henriquez CS. Microheterogeneity-induced conduction slowing and wavefront collisions govern macroscopic conduction behavior: A computational and experimental study. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006276. [PMID: 30011279 PMCID: PMC6062105 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The incidence of cardiac arrhythmias is known to be associated with tissue heterogeneities including fibrosis. However, the impact of microscopic structural heterogeneities on conduction in excitable tissues remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how acellular microheterogeneities affect macroscopic conduction under conditions of normal and reduced excitability by utilizing a novel platform of paired in vitro and in silico studies to examine the mechanisms of conduction. Regular patterns of nonconductive micro-obstacles were created in confluent monolayers of the previously described engineered-excitable Ex293 cell line. Increasing the relative ratio of obstacle size to intra-obstacle strand width resulted in significant conduction slowing up to 23.6% and a significant increase in wavefront curvature anisotropy, a measure of spatial variation in wavefront shape. Changes in bulk electrical conductivity and in path tortuosity were insufficient to explain these observed macroscopic changes. Rather, microscale behaviors including local conduction slowing due to microscale branching, and conduction acceleration due to wavefront merging were shown to contribute to macroscopic phenomena. Conditions of reduced excitability led to further conduction slowing and a reversal of wavefront curvature anisotropy due to spatially non-uniform effects on microscopic slowing and acceleration. This unique experimental and computation platform provided critical mechanistic insights in the impact of microscopic heterogeneities on macroscopic conduction, pertinent to settings of fibrotic heart disease. It is well known that perturbations in the heart structure are associated with the initiation and maintenance of clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia. While previous studies have examined how single structural perturbations affect local electrical conduction, our understanding of how numerous microscopic heterogeneities act in aggregate to alter macroscopic electrical behavior is limited. In this study, we utilized simplified engineered excitable cells that contain the minimal machinery of excitability and can be directly computationally modeled. By pairing experimental and computational studies, we showed that the microscopic branching and collisions of electrical waves slow and speed conduction, respectively, resulting in macroscopic changes in the speed and pattern of electrical activation. These microscale behaviors are significantly altered under reduced excitability, resulting in exaggerated collision effects. Overall, this study helps improve our understanding of how microscopic structural heterogeneities in excitable tissue lead to abnormal action potential propagation, conducive to arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmay A. Gokhale
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Huda Asfour
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Shravan Verma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nenad Bursac
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NB); (CSH)
| | - Craig S. Henriquez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NB); (CSH)
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Hansen KJ, Laflamme MA, Gaudette GR. Development of a Contractile Cardiac Fiber From Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Cardiomyocytes. Front Cardiovasc Med 2018; 5:52. [PMID: 29942806 PMCID: PMC6004416 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2018.00052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Stem cell therapy has the potential to regenerate cardiac function after myocardial infarction. In this study, we sought to examine if fibrin microthread technology could be leveraged to develop a contractile fiber from human pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hPS-CM). hPS-CM seeded onto fibrin microthreads were able to adhere to the microthread and began to contract seven days after initial seeding. A digital speckle tracking algorithm was applied to high speed video data (>60 fps) to determine contraction behaviour including beat frequency, average and maximum contractile strain, and the principal angle of contraction of hPS-CM contracting on the microthreads over 21 days. At day 7, cells seeded on tissue culture plastic beat at 0.83 ± 0.25 beats/sec with an average contractile strain of 4.23±0.23%, which was significantly different from a beat frequency of 1.11 ± 0.45 beats/sec and an average contractile strain of 3.08±0.19% at day 21 (n = 18, p < 0.05). hPS-CM seeded on microthreads beat at 0.84 ± 0.15 beats/sec with an average contractile strain of 3.56±0.22%, which significantly increased to 1.03 ± 0.19 beats/sec and 4.47±0.29%, respectively, at 21 days (n = 18, p < 0.05). At day 7, 27% of the cells had a principle angle of contraction within 20 degrees of the microthread, whereas at day 21, 65% of hPS-CM were contracting within 20 degrees of the microthread (n = 17). Utilizing high speed calcium transient data (>300 fps) of Fluo-4AM loaded hPS-CM seeded microthreads, conduction velocities significantly increased from 3.69 ± 1.76 cm/s at day 7 to 24.26 ± 8.42 cm/s at day 21 (n = 5-6, p < 0.05). hPS-CM seeded microthreads exhibited positive expression for connexin 43, a gap junction protein, between cells. These data suggest that the fibrin microthread is a suitable scaffold for hPS-CM attachment and contraction. In addition, extended culture allows cells to contract in the direction of the thread, suggesting alignment of the cells in the microthread direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina J. Hansen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Michael A. Laflamme
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Glenn R. Gaudette
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, United States
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