Electrical Stimulation Promotes the Vascularization and Functionalization of an Engineered Biomimetic Human Cardiac...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Vascularization is critical for in vitro cardiac tissue engineering.
• Current microvascular network formation relies on inefficient endothelial cell (EC) self-assembly.
• Stimulation is needed to promote EC organization in engineered cardiac tissue (ECT).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of electrical stimulation (ES) on vascularization in ECT.
• To assess ES-induced changes in endothelial cell (HUVEC) behavior and gene expression.
• To evaluate the impact of ES on cardiac tissue contractility and cell-cell signaling.

Main Methods:

• Bioprinting of ECT using GelMA/fibrin hydrogel, iPSC-CMs, and HUVECs.
• Application of electrical stimulation (ES) to the engineered cardiac tissue.
• Analysis of HUVEC elongation, migration, interconnection, and gene expression.
• Assessment of CMs-HUVECs signaling and cardiac tissue contractility.

Main Results:

• Electrical stimulation significantly promoted HUVEC elongation, migration, and interconnection within ECT.
• ES increased the expression of genes related to vascularization.
• ES enhanced signaling factor secretion between CMs and HUVECs.
• HUVECs in ES-treated ECT showed improved cardiac tissue contractility.

Conclusions:

• Electrical stimulation is an effective method to promote vascularization in engineered cardiac tissue.
• ES enhances the functional integration of endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes.
• This approach holds significant potential for fabricating vascularized ECT for clinical transplantation.