Injectable Peptide Hydrogels Loaded with Murine Embryonic Stem Cells Relieve Ischemia In Vivo after Myocardial...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Myocardial infarction (MI) significantly contributes to global morbidity and mortality, particularly in aging and metabolically unhealthy individuals.
• Restoring viable cardiomyocytes is a key goal in regenerative tissue engineering to prevent heart failure post-MI.
• Effective strategies must address ischemia and promote cardiac repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of injectable angiogenic peptide hydrogels loaded with stem cells for myocardial infarction treatment.
• To assess the cytocompatibility and in vivo performance of these hydrogels in a mouse MI model.
• To determine the potential for cardiac function preservation and tissue regeneration.

Main Methods:

• Self-assembling angiogenic β-sheet peptides formed thixotropic, injectable nanofibrous hydrogels.
• Murine embryonic stem cells were loaded into the hydrogels, maintaining excellent cytocompatibility.
• Hydrogels with and without cells were delivered into the myocardium of mice post-MI (LAD ligation) for 4-week evaluation.

Main Results:

• Injectable peptide hydrogels demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility with loaded stem cells.
• Intracardiac delivery of hydrogels synergized with stem cells, enhancing cell survival in the acute phase post-MI (especially at 7 days).
• Evaluations up to 4 weeks in vivo showed promising results for cardiac function and tissue remodeling.

Conclusions:

• This injectable peptide hydrogel system shows significant promise for post-MI treatment.
• The approach supports enhanced stem cell survival and cardiac repair, indicating potential for functional cardiac tissue regeneration.
• Further large-scale animal studies are warranted before clinical translation.