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Encapsulation of Cardiomyocytes in a Fibrin Hydrogel for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
Published on: September 19, 2011
Cytoplasm Hydrogelation-Mediated Cardiomyocyte Sponge Alleviated Coxsackievirus B3 Infection
Jingzhe Wang1,2, Tonggong Liu1, Siyao Gu3
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Medical Laboratory and Molecular Diagnostics, Shenzhen 518035, China.
Insights
This study introduces novel gelated cardiomyocytes (GCs) to trap and neutralize coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), effectively treating viral myocarditis. This intracellular gelation strategy offers a universal approach for combating viral infections.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Virology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Viral myocarditis (VMC), often caused by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), lacks effective treatments and leads to severe cardiac issues.
- Existing therapies like IFNα and ribavirin demonstrate limited efficacy against viral myocarditis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel intracellular gelated cardiomyocytes (GCs) strategy as a universal antiviral treatment.
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of GCs in trapping and neutralizing CVB3 and inhibiting VMC.
Main Methods:
- Development of intracellular gelated cardiomyocytes (GCs) to act as cellular sponges.
- Utilizing receptor-ligand interactions (e.g., CAR and CD55) for CVB3 trapping and neutralization.
- In vitro assessment of GCs against CVB3 infection in HeLa cells.
- In vivo evaluation of GCs in a CVB3-induced viral myocarditis mouse model.
Main Results:
- GCs effectively inhibited CVB3 infection in vitro.
- In vivo studies demonstrated GCs' immune escape capability and significant inhibition of viral myocarditis.
- GCs exhibited a high safety profile in vivo.
Conclusions:
- Intracellular gelation of host cells presents a promising universal strategy for antiviral therapy.
- GCs offer a novel, safe, and effective treatment for viral myocarditis and potential rapid response to emerging viral threats.
Abstract:
Viral myocarditis (VMC), commonly caused by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection, lacks specific treatments and leads to serious heart conditions. Current treatments, such as IFNα and ribavirin, show limited effectiveness. Herein, rather than inhibiting virus replication, this study introduces a novel cardiomyocyte sponge, intracellular gelated cardiomyocytes (GCs), to trap and neutralize CVB3 via a receptor-ligand interaction, such as CAR and CD55. By maintaining cellular morphology, GCs serve as sponges for CVB3, inhibiting infection. In vitro results revealed that GCs could inhibit CVB3 infection on HeLa cells. In vivo, GCs exhibited a strong immune escape ability and effectively inhibited CVB3-induced viral myocarditis with a high safety profile. The most significant implication of this study is to develop a universal antivirus infection strategy via intracellular gelation of the host cell, which can be employed not only for treating defined pathogenic viruses but also for a rapid response to infection outbreaks caused by mutable and unknown viruses.
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