Mechano-matching hydrogel patch promotes myocardial infarction repair via YAP-Bcl-2 pathway activation.

ABSTRACT: Although elastic cardiac patches have demonstrated efficacy in alleviating ventricular wall stress and restoring cardiac function following myocardial infarction (MI), the mechanistic basis governing their therapeutic effects remains incompletely elucidated. In this study, three distinct acellular hydrogel patches with tailored elastic moduli were fabricated, namely soft (1.61 kPa), mechano-matching (16.82 kPa, corresponding to the moduli of native adult myocardium), and rigid (602.61 kPa). These patches were implanted in a rat model of MI to evaluate their therapeutic potential. Among the three groups, the mechano-matching hydrogel patch exhibited superior performance, significantly improving cardiac function (with left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] elevated by 15.89 %, p = 

SUBMITTER: Zhao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12765076 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature