title: The effect of immobilized RGD peptide in alginate scaffolds on cardiac tissue engineering.
abstract: Cardiac tissue engineering aims to regenerate damaged myocardial tissues by applying heart patches created in vitro. The present study was undertaken to explore the possible role of matrix-attached RGD peptide in the engineering of cardiac tissue within macroporous scaffolds. Neonatal rat cardiac cells were seeded into RGD-immobilized or unmodified alginate scaffolds. The immobilized RGD peptide promoted cell adherence to the matrix, prevented cell apoptosis and accelerated cardiac tissue regeneration. Within 6 days, the cardiomyocytes reorganized their myofibrils and reconstructed myofibers composed of multiple cardiomyocytes in a typical myofiber bundle. The nonmyocyte cell population, mainly cardiofibroblasts, benefited greatly from adhering to the RGD-alginate matrix and consequently supported the cardiomyocytes. They often surrounded bundles of cardiac myofibers in a manner similar to that of native cardiac tissue. The benefits of culturing the cardiac cells in RGD-immobilized alginate scaffolds were further substantiated by Western blotting, revealing that the relative expression levels of α-actinin, N-cadherin and connexin-43 were better maintained in cells cultured within these scaffolds. Collectively, the immobilization of RGD peptide into macroporous alginate scaffolds proved to be a key parameter in cardiac tissue engineering, contributing to the formation of functional cardiac muscle tissue and to a better preservation of the regenerated tissue in culture.
authors.affiliation: The Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren, Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shachar
authors.forename: Orna
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tsur-Gang
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dvir
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leor
authors.forename: Smadar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D055767:Immobilized Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D055767:Immobilized Proteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D014746:Vimentin; C047981:arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid; D020723:Glucuronic Acid