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Shi R, Reichardt M, Fiegle DJ, Küpfer LK, Czajka T, Sun Z, Salditt T, Dendorfer A, Seidel T, Bruegmann T. Contractility measurements for cardiotoxicity screening with ventricular myocardial slices of pigs. Cardiovasc Res 2023; 119:2469-2481. [PMID: 37934066 PMCID: PMC10651213 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvad141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Cardiotoxicity is one major reason why drugs do not enter or are withdrawn from the market. Thus, approaches are required to predict cardiotoxicity with high specificity and sensitivity. Ideally, such methods should be performed within intact cardiac tissue with high relevance for humans and detect acute and chronic side effects on electrophysiological behaviour, contractility, and tissue structure in an unbiased manner. Herein, we evaluate healthy pig myocardial slices and biomimetic cultivation setups (BMCS) as a new cardiotoxicity screening approach. METHODS AND RESULTS Pig left ventricular samples were cut into slices and spanned into BMCS with continuous electrical pacing and online force recording. Automated stimulation protocols were established to determine the force-frequency relationship (FFR), frequency dependence of contraction duration, effective refractory period (ERP), and pacing threshold. Slices generated 1.3 ± 0.14 mN/mm2 force at 0.5 Hz electrical pacing and showed a positive FFR and a shortening of contraction duration with increasing pacing rates. Approximately 62% of slices were able to contract for at least 6 days while showing stable ERP, contraction duration-frequency relationship, and preserved cardiac structure confirmed by confocal imaging and X-ray diffraction analysis. We used specific blockers of the most important cardiac ion channels to determine which analysis parameters are influenced. To validate our approach, we tested five drug candidates selected from the Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmia Assay list as well as acetylsalicylic acid and DMSO as controls in a blinded manner in three independent laboratories. We were able to detect all arrhythmic drugs and their respective mode of action on cardiac tissue including inhibition of Na+, Ca2+, and hERG channels as well as Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. CONCLUSION We systematically evaluate this approach for cardiotoxicity screening, which is of high relevance for humans and can be upscaled to medium-throughput screening. Thus, our approach will improve the predictive value and efficiency of preclinical cardiotoxicity screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runzhu Shi
- Institute for Cardiovascular Physiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Humboldtallee 23, 37073 Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- International Research Training Group 1816, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marius Reichardt
- Institute for Cardiovascular Physiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Humboldtallee 23, 37073 Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for X-ray Physics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik J Fiegle
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Linda K Küpfer
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Titus Czajka
- Institute for X-ray Physics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Zhengwu Sun
- Walter-Brendel-Centre of Experimental Medicine, Hospital of the University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Tim Salditt
- Institute for X-ray Physics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells’ (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Dendorfer
- Walter-Brendel-Centre of Experimental Medicine, Hospital of the University Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Centre of Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Seidel
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Tobias Bruegmann
- Institute for Cardiovascular Physiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Humboldtallee 23, 37073 Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells’ (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner site Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Optimized Conditions for the Long-Term Maintenance of Precision-Cut Murine Myocardium in Biomimetic Tissue Culture. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:bioengineering10020171. [PMID: 36829664 PMCID: PMC9952453 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10020171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Organotypic heart slices from mice might provide a promising in vitro model for cardiac research because of the vast availability of genetically modified specimens, combined with the unrestricted feasibility of experimental interventions. However, murine heart slices undergo rapid degeneration in culture. Therefore, we developed optimal conditions to preserve their structure and function in culture. Mouse ventricular heart samples were transversely cut into 300 µm thick slices. Slices were then cultured under various conditions of diastolic preload, systolic compliance and medium agitation. Continuous stimulation was performed either by optical stimulation or by electrical field stimulation. Contractility was continuously measured, and cellular survival, structure and gene expression were analyzed. Significant improvements in viability and function were achieved by elastic fixation with the appropriate diastolic preload and the rapid shaking of a ß-mercaptoethanol-supplemented medium. At 1 Hz pacing, mouse heart slices maintained stable contractility for up to 48 h under optogenetic pacing and for one week under electrical pacing. In cultured slices, the native myofibril structure was well preserved, and the mRNAs of myosin light chain, titin and connexin 43 were constantly expressed. Conclusions: Adult murine heart slices can be preserved for one week and provide a new opportunity to study cardiac functions.
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Borysova L, Ng YYH, Wragg ES, Wallis LE, Fay E, Ascione R, Dora KA. High spatial and temporal resolution Ca 2+ imaging of myocardial strips from human, pig and rat. Nat Protoc 2021; 16:4650-4675. [PMID: 34400840 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-021-00590-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ca2+ handling within cardiac myocytes underpins coordinated contractile function within the beating heart. This protocol enables high spatial and temporal Ca2+ imaging of ex vivo multicellular myocardial strips. The endocardial surface is retained, and strips of 150-300-µm thickness are dissected, loaded with Ca2+ indicators and mounted within 1.5 h. A list of the equipment and reagents used and the key methodological aspects allowing the use of this technique on strips from any chamber of the mammalian heart are described. We have successfully used this protocol on human, pig and rat biopsy samples. On use of this protocol with intact endocardial endothelium, we demonstrated that the myocytes develop asynchronous spontaneous Ca2+ events, which can be ablated by electrically evoked Ca2+ transients, and subsequently redevelop spontaneously after cessation of stimulation. This protocol thus offers a rapid and reliable method for studying the Ca2+ signaling underpinning cardiomyocyte contraction, in both healthy and diseased tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyudmyla Borysova
- Vascular Pharmacology Group, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Y Y Hanson Ng
- Vascular Pharmacology Group, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Edward S Wragg
- Vascular Pharmacology Group, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lillian E Wallis
- Vascular Pharmacology Group, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Emily Fay
- Vascular Pharmacology Group, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Raimondo Ascione
- Bristol Heart Institute, Bristol Royal Infirmary, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Kim A Dora
- Vascular Pharmacology Group, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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House A, Atalla I, Lee EJ, Guvendiren M. Designing Biomaterial Platforms for Cardiac Tissue and Disease Modeling. ADVANCED NANOBIOMED RESEARCH 2021; 1:2000022. [PMID: 33709087 PMCID: PMC7942203 DOI: 10.1002/anbr.202000022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world. There is a growing demand for in vitro cardiac models that can recapitulate the complex physiology of the cardiac tissue. These cardiac models can provide a platform to better understand the underlying mechanisms of cardiac development and disease and aid in developing novel treatment alternatives and platforms towards personalized medicine. In this review, a summary of engineered cardiac platforms is presented. Basic design considerations for replicating the heart's microenvironment are discussed considering the anatomy of the heart. This is followed by a detailed summary of the currently available biomaterial platforms for modeling the heart tissue in vitro. These in vitro models include 2D surface modified structures, 3D molded structures, porous scaffolds, electrospun scaffolds, bioprinted structures, and heart-on-a-chip devices. The challenges faced by current models and the future directions of in vitro cardiac models are also discussed. Engineered in vitro tissue models utilizing patients' own cells could potentially revolutionize the way we develop treatment and diagnostic alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew House
- Instructive Biomaterials and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, Otto H. York Chemical and Materials Engineering, 138 York Center, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Iren Atalla
- Instructive Biomaterials and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, Otto H. York Chemical and Materials Engineering, 138 York Center, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Eun Jung Lee
- Instructive Biomaterials and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, Otto H. York Chemical and Materials Engineering, 138 York Center, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Murat Guvendiren
- Instructive Biomaterials and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, Otto H. York Chemical and Materials Engineering, 138 York Center, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
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Pitoulis FG, Watson SA, Perbellini F, Terracciano CM. Myocardial slices come to age: an intermediate complexity in vitro cardiac model for translational research. Cardiovasc Res 2020; 116:1275-1287. [PMID: 31868875 PMCID: PMC7243278 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvz341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although past decades have witnessed significant reductions in mortality of heart failure together with advances in our understanding of its cellular, molecular, and whole-heart features, a lot of basic cardiac research still fails to translate into clinical practice. In this review we examine myocardial slices, a novel model in the translational arena. Myocardial slices are living ultra-thin sections of heart tissue. Slices maintain the myocardium's native function (contractility, electrophysiology) and structure (multicellularity, extracellular matrix) and can be prepared from animal and human tissue. The discussion begins with the history and current advances in the model, the different interlaboratory methods of preparation and their potential impact on results. We then contextualize slices' advantages and limitations by comparing it with other cardiac models. Recently, sophisticated methods have enabled slices to be cultured chronically in vitro while preserving the functional and structural phenotype. This is more timely now than ever where chronic physiologically relevant in vitro platforms for assessment of therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. We interrogate the technological developments that have permitted this, their limitations, and future directions. Finally, we look into the general obstacles faced by the translational field, and how implementation of research systems utilizing slices could help in resolving these.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fotios G Pitoulis
- Laboratory of Cell Electrophysiology, Department of Myocardial Function, Imperial College London, National Heart and Lung Institute, 4th Floor ICTEM Building Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Samuel A Watson
- Laboratory of Cell Electrophysiology, Department of Myocardial Function, Imperial College London, National Heart and Lung Institute, 4th Floor ICTEM Building Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Filippo Perbellini
- Laboratory of Cell Electrophysiology, Department of Myocardial Function, Imperial College London, National Heart and Lung Institute, 4th Floor ICTEM Building Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
- Hannover Medical School, Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies, Hannover, Germany
| | - Cesare M Terracciano
- Laboratory of Cell Electrophysiology, Department of Myocardial Function, Imperial College London, National Heart and Lung Institute, 4th Floor ICTEM Building Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
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Human Organotypic Cultured Cardiac Slices: New Platform For High Throughput Preclinical Human Trials. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28798. [PMID: 27356882 PMCID: PMC4928074 DOI: 10.1038/srep28798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Translation of novel therapies from bench to bedside is hampered by profound disparities between animal and human genetics and physiology. The ability to test for efficacy and cardiotoxicity in a clinically relevant human model system would enable more rapid therapy development. We have developed a preclinical platform for validation of new therapies in human heart tissue using organotypic slices isolated from donor and end-stage failing hearts. A major advantage of the slices when compared with human iPS-derived cardiomyocytes is that native tissue architecture and extracellular matrix are preserved, thereby allowing investigation of multi-cellular physiology in normal or diseased myocardium. To validate this model, we used optical mapping of transmembrane potential and calcium transients. We found that normal human electrophysiology is preserved in slice preparations when compared with intact hearts, including slices obtained from the region of the sinus node. Physiology is maintained in slices during culture, enabling testing the acute and chronic effects of pharmacological, gene, cell, optogenetic, device, and other therapies. This methodology offers a powerful high-throughput platform for assessing the physiological response of the human heart to disease and novel putative therapies.
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Sallam K, Li Y, Sager PT, Houser SR, Wu JC. Finding the rhythm of sudden cardiac death: new opportunities using induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Circ Res 2015; 116:1989-2004. [PMID: 26044252 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.116.304494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Sudden cardiac death is a common cause of death in patients with structural heart disease, genetic mutations, or acquired disorders affecting cardiac ion channels. A wide range of platforms exist to model and study disorders associated with sudden cardiac death. Human clinical studies are cumbersome and are thwarted by the extent of investigation that can be performed on human subjects. Animal models are limited by their degree of homology to human cardiac electrophysiology, including ion channel expression. Most commonly used cellular models are cellular transfection models, which are able to mimic the expression of a single-ion channel offering incomplete insight into changes of the action potential profile. Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes resemble, but are not identical, adult human cardiomyocytes and provide a new platform for studying arrhythmic disorders leading to sudden cardiac death. A variety of platforms exist to phenotype cellular models, including conventional and automated patch clamp, multielectrode array, and computational modeling. Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes have been used to study long QT syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and other hereditary cardiac disorders. Although induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are distinct from adult cardiomyocytes, they provide a robust platform to advance the science and clinical care of sudden cardiac death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Sallam
- From the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (K.S., Y.L., P.T.S., J.C.W.), Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (K.S., Y.L., J.C.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; and Cardiovascular Research Center and Department of Physiology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (S.R.H.)
| | - Yingxin Li
- From the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (K.S., Y.L., P.T.S., J.C.W.), Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (K.S., Y.L., J.C.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; and Cardiovascular Research Center and Department of Physiology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (S.R.H.)
| | - Philip T Sager
- From the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (K.S., Y.L., P.T.S., J.C.W.), Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (K.S., Y.L., J.C.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; and Cardiovascular Research Center and Department of Physiology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (S.R.H.)
| | - Steven R Houser
- From the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (K.S., Y.L., P.T.S., J.C.W.), Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (K.S., Y.L., J.C.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; and Cardiovascular Research Center and Department of Physiology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (S.R.H.).
| | - Joseph C Wu
- From the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (K.S., Y.L., P.T.S., J.C.W.), Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (K.S., Y.L., J.C.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; and Cardiovascular Research Center and Department of Physiology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (S.R.H.).
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Blazeski A, Kostecki GM, Tung L. Engineered heart slices for electrophysiological and contractile studies. Biomaterials 2015; 55:119-28. [PMID: 25934457 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A major consideration in the design of engineered cardiac tissues for the faithful representation of physiological behavior is the recapitulation of the complex topography and biochemistry of native tissue. In this study we present engineered heart slices (EHS), which consist of neonatal rat ventricular cells (NRVCs) seeded onto thin slices of decellularized cardiac tissue that retain important aspects of native extracellular matrix (ECM). To form EHS, rat or pig ventricular tissue was sectioned into 300 μm-thick, 5 to 16 mm-diameter disks, which were subsequently decellularized using detergents, spread on coverslips, and seeded with NRVCs. The organized fiber structure of the ECM remained after decellularization and promoted cell elongation and alignment, resulting in an anisotropic, functional tissue that could be electrically paced. Contraction decreased at higher pacing rates, and optical mapping revealed electrical conduction that was anisotropic with a ratio of approximately 2.0, rate-dependent shortening of the action potential and slowing of conduction, and slowing of conduction by the sodium channel blocker lidocaine. Reentrant arrhythmias could also be pace-induced and terminated. EHS constitute an attractive in vitro cardiac tissue in which cardiac cells are cultured on thin slices of decellularized cardiac ECM that provide important biochemical, structural, and mechanical cues absent in traditional cell cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Blazeski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Geran M Kostecki
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Leslie Tung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Quinn TA, Kohl P. Combining wet and dry research: experience with model development for cardiac mechano-electric structure-function studies. Cardiovasc Res 2013; 97:601-11. [PMID: 23334215 PMCID: PMC3583260 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvt003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2012] [Revised: 01/08/2013] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the development of the first mathematical cardiac cell model 50 years ago, computational modelling has become an increasingly powerful tool for the analysis of data and for the integration of information related to complex cardiac behaviour. Current models build on decades of iteration between experiment and theory, representing a collective understanding of cardiac function. All models, whether computational, experimental, or conceptual, are simplified representations of reality and, like tools in a toolbox, suitable for specific applications. Their range of applicability can be explored (and expanded) by iterative combination of 'wet' and 'dry' investigation, where experimental or clinical data are used to first build and then validate computational models (allowing integration of previous findings, quantitative assessment of conceptual models, and projection across relevant spatial and temporal scales), while computational simulations are utilized for plausibility assessment, hypotheses-generation, and prediction (thereby defining further experimental research targets). When implemented effectively, this combined wet/dry research approach can support the development of a more complete and cohesive understanding of integrated biological function. This review illustrates the utility of such an approach, based on recent examples of multi-scale studies of cardiac structure and mechano-electric function.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Alexander Quinn
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Heart Science Centre, Harefield UB9 6JH, UK.
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Tralau T, Luch A. Drug-mediated toxicity: illuminating the ‘bad’ in the test tube by means of cellular assays? Trends Pharmacol Sci 2012; 33:353-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2012.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2012] [Revised: 03/12/2012] [Accepted: 03/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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