Injectable carbon nanotube-functionalized hydrogel as a tool for cardiac tissue engineering

Abstract Background/Introduction Heart failure (HF) is an expensive major public health problem in the United States and around world (1). The current treatments for HF are aimed at reducing symptoms, slowing disease progression, mortality not repairing heart muscle or restoring function. Furthermore, even with these treatments, approximately half of patients will die within 5 years diagnosis (2). Cardiac transplantation remains only definitive treatment those affected end-stage HF, but availability donor hearts a limitation (3). Purpose ability adult to regenerate cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost after injury limited, generating interest developing tissue engineering therapies avoid progression towards HF. Rigid carbon nanotubes (CNTs) scaffolds have been used improve CMs viability, proliferation, maturation (4), require undesirable invasive surgeries implantation. To overcome this limitation, we engineered injectable reverse thermal gel (RTG) functionalized CNTs (RTG-CNT) that transitions from liquid-solution gel-based matrix shortly reaching body temperature allowing liquid-based delivery rapidly followed by stable-gel localization (5). Methods results Here show experimental evidences RTG-CNT hydrogel, as three-dimensional (3D) niche culture human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-CMs, promotes hiPSC-CMs alignment elongation increased Cx43 improved contraction function when compared traditional two-dimensional (2D) fibronectin controls plain 3D RTG system without CNTs. Moreover, short-term (4-week) biocompatibility hydrogel was also assessed mouse model (intracardial injection). confirmed well tolerated cardiac tissue. Conclusion Our indicated has potential be minimally tool efforts. Funding Acknowledgement Type funding sources: Other. Main source(s): NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD (NHLBI) INSTITUTE