Tissues with Patterned Vessels or Protein Release Induce Vascular Chemotaxis in an In Vitro Platform

Patterned Arteriole-Scale Vessels Enhance Engraftment, Perfusion, and Vessel Branching Hierarchy of Engineered Human Myocardium for Heart Regeneration

Heart regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI) using human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) is rapidly accelerating with large animal and human clinical trials. However, vascularization methods to support the engraftment, survival, and development of implanted CMs in the ischemic environment of the infarcted heart remain a key and timely challenge. To this end, we developed a dual remuscularization-revascularization therapy that is evaluated in a rat model of ischemia-reperfusion MI. This study details the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) for engineering cardiac tissue containing patterned engineered vessels 400 μm in diameter. Vascularized engineered human myocardial tissues (vEHMs) are cultured in static conditions or perfused in vitro prior to implantation and evaluated after two weeks. Immunohistochemical staining indicates improved engraftment of hiPSC-CMs in in vitro-perfused vEHMs with greater expression of SMA+ vessels and evidence of inosculation. Three-dimensional vascular reconstructions reveal less tortuous and larger intra-implant vessels, as well as an improved branching hierarchy in in vitro-perfused vEHMs relative to non-perfused controls. Exploratory RNA sequencing of explanted vEHMs supports the hypothesis that co-revascularization impacts hiPSC-CM development in vivo. Our approach provides a strong foundation to enhance vEHM integration, develop hierarchical vascular perfusion, and maximize hiPSC-CM engraftment for future regenerative therapy.

Current Applications of Polycaprolactone as a Scaffold Material for Heart Regeneration

Despite numerous advances in treatments for cardiovascular disease, heart failure (HF) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. A significant factor contributing to the progression of cardiovascular diseases into HF is the loss of functioning cardiomyocytes. The recent growth in the field of cardiac tissue engineering has the potential to not only reduce the downstream effects of injured tissues on heart function and longevity but also re-engineer cardiac function through regeneration of contractile tissue. One leading strategy to accomplish this is via a cellularized patch that can be surgically implanted onto a diseased heart. A key area of this field is the use of tissue scaffolds to recapitulate the mechanical and structural environment of the native heart and thus promote engineered myocardium contractility and function. While the strong mechanical properties and anisotropic structural organization of the native heart can be largely attributed to a robust extracellular matrix, similar strength and organization has proven to be difficult to achieve in cultured tissues. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is an emerging contender to fill these gaps in fabricating scaffolds that mimic the mechanics and structure of the native heart. In the field of cardiovascular engineering, PCL has recently begun to be studied as a scaffold for regenerating the myocardium due to its facile fabrication, desirable mechanical, chemical, and biocompatible properties, and perhaps most importantly, biodegradability, which make it suitable for regenerating and re-engineering function to the heart after disease or injury. This review focuses on the application of PCL as a scaffold specifically in myocardium repair and regeneration and outlines current fabrication approaches, properties, and possibilities of PCL incorporation into engineered myocardium, as well as provides suggestions for future directions and a roadmap toward clinical translation of this technology.

Architected fibrous scaffolds for engineering anisotropic tissues

Mimicking the native three-dimensional microenvironment is of crucial importance when biofabricating a new healthcare material. One aspect of the native tissue that is often omitted when designing a suitable scaffold is its anisotropy. Not only is matching native mechanical properties important when designing implantable scaffolds or healthcare materials, but matching physiological structure is also important as many cell populations respond differently to fiber orientation. Therefore, novel aligned electrospun scaffolds with varying fiber angles and spacing of bundles were created and mechanically characterized. Through controlling the angle between the fibers in each layer of the scaffold, a range of different physiological anisotropic mechanical properties were achieved that encompasses values found in native tissues. Extrapolation of this mechanical data allowed for any native tissue's anisotropic Young's modulus to be mimicked by electrospinning fibers at a particular angle. These electrospun scaffolds were then incorporated with cell-laden hydrogels to create hybrid structures that contain the benefits of both scaffolding techniques with the ability to encapsulate cells in the hydrogel. To conclude, this study develops a novel bundled fiber scaffold that was architected to yield anisotropic properties matching native tissues.