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Updated: Jun 23, 2025
Generation of Aligned Functional Myocardial Tissue Through Microcontact Printing
Published on: March 19, 2013
Multimaterial Printing of Serpentine Microarchitectures with Synergistic Mechanical/Piezoelectric Stimulation for
Kang Han1,2,3, Mao Mao1,2,3, Liyan Fu4
1State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Recreating the natural heart's mechanical and electrical environment is crucial for engineering functional cardiac tissue and repairing infarcted myocardium in vivo. In this study, multimaterial-printed serpentine microarchitectures are presented with synergistic mechanical/piezoelectric stimulation, incorporating polycaprolactone (PCL) microfibers for mechanical support, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfibers for piezoelectric stimulation, and magnetic PCL/Fe3O4 for controlled deformation via an external magnet. Rat cardiomyocytes in piezoelectric constructs, subjected to dynamic mechanical stimulation, exhibit advanced maturation, featuring superior sarcomeric structures, improved calcium transients, and upregulated maturation genes compared to non-piezoelectric constructs. Furthermore, these engineered piezoelectric cardiac constructs demonstrate significant structural and functional repair of infarcted myocardium, as evidenced by enhanced ejection and shortening fraction, reduced fibrosis and inflammation, and increased angiogenesis. The findings underscore the therapeutic potential of piezoelectric cardiac constructs for myocardial infarction therapy.
