Epicardial application of cardiac progenitor cells in a 3D-printed gelatin/hyaluronic acid patch preserves cardiac function after myocardial infarction

Roberto Gaetani*, Dries A M Feyen, Vera Verhage, Rolf Slaats, Elisa Messina, Karen L. Christman, Alessandro Giacomello, Pieter A F M Doevendans, Joost P G Sluijter

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Cardiac cell therapy suffers from limitations related to poor engraftment and significant cell death after transplantation. In this regard, ex vivo tissue engineering is a tool that has been demonstrated to increase cell retention and survival. The aim of our study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of a 3D-printed patch composed of human cardiac-derived progenitor cells (hCMPCs) in a hyaluronic acid/gelatin (HA/gel) based matrix. hCMPCs were printed in the HA/gel matrix (30 x 10(6) cells/ml) to form a biocomplex made of six perpendicularly printed layers with a surface of 2 x 2 cm and thickness of 400 um, in which they retained their viability, proliferation and differentiation capability. The printed biocomplex was transplanted in a mouse model of myocardial infarction (MI). The application of the patch led to a significant reduction in adverse remodeling and preservation of cardiac performance as was shown by both MRI and histology. Furthermore, the matrix supported the long-term in vivo survival and engraftment of hCMPCs, which exhibited a temporal increase in cardiac and vascular differentiation markers over the course of the 4 week follow-up period. Overall, we developed an effective and translational approach to enhance hCMPC delivery and action in the heart. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)339-348
Number of pages10
JournalBiomaterials
Volume61
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2015

Keywords

  • Cardiac progenitor cells
  • Cardiac regeneration
  • Cardiac tissue engineering
  • Heart failure
  • Tissue printing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Epicardial application of cardiac progenitor cells in a 3D-printed gelatin/hyaluronic acid patch preserves cardiac function after myocardial infarction'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this