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Contact guidance for cardiac tissue engineering using 3D bioprinted gelatin patterned hydrogel
Ajay Tijore1, Scott Alexander Irvine, Udi Sarig
1Division of Materials Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue 639798, Singapore.
Biofabrication
|December 14, 2017
Summary
This study developed a 3D bioprinted hydrogel scaffold that guides human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to become heart cells and improves native cardiomyocyte (CM) function for cardiac tissue engineering.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Stem Cell Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Developing functional cardiac tissue requires scaffolds that guide stem cell differentiation and support cardiomyocyte activity.
- Existing methods often lack the topographical cues necessary for precise cell alignment and maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a 3D bioprinted microchanneled gelatin hydrogel.
- To investigate its ability to promote human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) myocardial commitment.
- To assess its support for native cardiomyocyte (CM) contractile functionality.
Main Methods:
- 3D bioprinting of microchanneled gelatin hydrogel scaffolds.
- Culturing and analyzing hMSCs for alignment, elongation, and differentiation using F-actin staining and cardiac markers.
- Utilizing fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for quantitative analysis of cell lineage commitment.
- Seeding and evaluating native CMs on patterned versus unpatterned hydrogels for alignment and synchronized beating.
Main Results:
- Microchanneled hydrogels induced hMSC alignment, elongation, and F-actin anisotropy, demonstrating topographical control.
- Aligned hMSCs showed significant myocardial lineage commitment, confirmed by cardiac markers and FACS analysis.
- Seeded CMs exhibited enhanced alignment and synchronized beating on microchanneled hydrogels compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- 3D bioprinted microchanneled hydrogel scaffolds effectively induce stem cell myocardial differentiation.
- The developed scaffold supports native cardiomyocyte growth, alignment, and contractile function.
- This technology holds promise for in vitro cardiac models and in vivo tissue engineering applications.
