Mechanically stimulated contraction of engineered cardiac constructs using a microcantilever.

ABSTRACT: The beating heart undergoes cyclic mechanical and electrical activity during systole and diastole. The interaction between mechanical stimulation and propagation of the depolarization wavefront is important for understanding not just normal sinus rhythm, but also mechanically induced cardiac arrhythmia. This study presents a new platform to study mechanoelectrical coupling in a 3-D in vitro model of the myocardium. Cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts are seeded within extracellular matrix proteins and form constructs constrained by microfabricated tissue gauges that provide in situ measurement of contractile function. The microcantilever of an atomic force microscope is indented into the construct at varying magnitudes and frequencies to cause a coordinated contraction. The results indi

SUBMITTER: Galie PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5478378 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature