Pulsatile flow conditioning of three-dimensional bioengineered cardiac ventricle

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Current bioreactor studies often condition planar or tubular engineered cardiac constructs.
• Existing 3D bioreactor models use pressure loading for support, not mechanical conditioning.
• A need exists for 3D mechanical stretch conditioning to develop pump function in engineered cardiac ventricles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel pulsatile flow conditioned ventricle (PFCV) system.
• To utilize a 3D mechanical stretch conditioning method for engineered cardiac left ventricles.
• To assess the impact of pulsatile flow conditioning on the function and structure of engineered cardiac tissue.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an in vitro PFCV model using a chitosan bioengineered open ventricle scaffold.
• Wrapping the scaffold with a 3D fibrin gel artificial heart muscle patch.
• Applying pulsatile flow conditioning for 20 hours to the engineered construct.

Main Results:

• Achieved an average contractile frequency of 57 bpm.
• Generated an average pressure of 3.1633 mmHg post-conditioning.
• Observed an average biopotential output of 0.4881 mV and improved histological organization.

Conclusions:

• Pulsatile flow conditioning is an effective method for enhancing engineered left ventricle function.
• The PFCV system successfully generates pump function in engineered cardiac tissue.
• The study demonstrates improved intercellular interactions and sarcomeric organization via pulsatile flow conditioning.