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Updated: May 29, 2026
Processing of Human Cardiac Tissue Toward Extracellular Matrix Self-assembling Hydrogel for In Vitro and In Vivo Applications
Published on: December 4, 2017
A nondenatured, noncrosslinked collagen matrix to deliver stem cells to the heart
Nicholas A Kouris1, Jayne M Squirrell, Jangwook P Jung
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Aims:
Stem cell transplantation holds promise as a therapeutic approach for the repair of damaged myocardial tissue. One challenge of this approach is efficient delivery and long-term retention of the stem cells. Although several synthetic and natural biomaterials have been developed for this purpose, the ideal formulation has yet to be identified.
Materials & Methods:
Here we investigate the utility of a nondenatured, noncrosslinked, commercially available natural biomaterial (TissueMend(®) [TEI Biosciences, Boston, MA, USA]) for delivery of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the murine heart.
Results:
We found that MSCs attached, proliferated and migrated within and out of the TissueMend matrix in vitro. Human MSCs delivered to damaged murine myocardium via the matrix (2.3 × 10(4) ± 0.8 × 10(4) CD73(+) cells/matrix) were maintained in vivo for 3 weeks and underwent at least three population doublings during that period (21.9 × 10(4) ± 14.4 × 10(4) CD73(+) cells/matrix). In addition, collagen within the TissueMend matrix could be remodeled by MSCs in vivo, resulting in a significant decrease in the coefficient of alignment of fibers (0.12 ± 0.12) compared with the matrix alone (0.28 ± 0.07), and the MSCs were capable of migrating out of the matrix and into the host tissue.
Conclusion:
Thus, TissueMend matrix offers a commercially available, biocompatible and malleable vehicle for the delivery and retention of stem cells to the heart.
