title: Nanowired three-dimensional cardiac patches.
abstract: Engineered cardiac patches for treating damaged heart tissues after a heart attack are normally produced by seeding heart cells within three-dimensional porous biomaterial scaffolds. These biomaterials, which are usually made of either biological polymers such as alginate or synthetic polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), help cells organize into functioning tissues, but poor conductivity of these materials limits the ability of the patch to contract strongly as a unit. Here, we show that incorporating gold nanowires within alginate scaffolds can bridge the electrically resistant pore walls of alginate and improve electrical communication between adjacent cardiac cells. Tissues grown on these composite matrices were thicker and better aligned than those grown on pristine alginate and when electrically stimulated, the cells in these tissues contracted synchronously. Furthermore, higher levels of the proteins involved in muscle contraction and electrical coupling are detected in the composite matrices. It is expected that the integration of conducting nanowires within three-dimensional scaffolds may improve the therapeutic value of current cardiac patches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dvir
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Timko
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Brigham
authors.forename: Shreesh R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.forename: Sandeep S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Karajanagi
authors.forename: Oren
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Kevin K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kohane
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type / Q000378:metabolism; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006046:Gold; D020723:Glucuronic Acid