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Multiparametric Optical Mapping of the Langendorff-perfused Rabbit Heart
Published on: September 13, 2011
Optical mapping of impulse propagation in engineered cardiac tissue
Milica Radisic1, Vladimir G Fast, Oleg F Sharifov
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. m.radisic@utoronto.ca
Tissue Engineering. Part A
|October 14, 2008
Summary
Electrical stimulation in bioreactors significantly enhances electrical signal propagation in engineered cardiac tissue. This improves contraction, morphology, and connexin-43 expression, crucial for heart repair applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Research
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Cardiac tissue engineering aims to create functional myocardial constructs for heart repair and disease modeling.
- Bioreactors providing biomimetic environments are essential for cell differentiation and functional tissue assembly.
- Electrical stimulation is a key factor in the development and function of excitable tissues like the myocardium.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of electrical field stimulation on neonatal rat heart cell constructs cultured in bioreactors.
- To assess the impact of electrical stimulation on electrical impulse propagation, contractile behavior, and tissue composition.
- To determine if bioreactor-based electrical stimulation can improve the functional properties of engineered cardiac constructs.
Main Methods:
- Neonatal rat heart cells were cultured on collagen scaffolds within bioreactors.
- Electrical field stimulation was applied to experimental constructs, while controls received no stimulation.
- Optical mapping was used to measure electrical impulse propagation velocity.
- Contractile function, tissue morphology, and connexin-43 expression were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Electrical stimulation significantly increased conduction velocity (14.4 cm/s) compared to nonstimulated constructs (8.6 cm/s).
- Stimulated constructs exhibited improved contraction amplitude, enhanced tissue morphology, and higher connexin-43 expression.
- Electrical propagation properties correlated with contractile behavior and construct composition.
Conclusions:
- Electrical stimulation during bioreactor cultivation is effective in improving electrical signal propagation in engineered cardiac constructs.
- This method enhances key functional and structural characteristics of engineered heart tissue.
- The findings support the use of electrical stimulation in bioreactors for advancing cardiac tissue engineering for therapeutic applications.
