Vascularisation of pluripotent stem cell-derived myocardium: biomechanical insights for physiological relevance in cardiac tissue engineering.

ABSTRACT: The myocardium is a diverse environment, requiring coordination between a variety of specialised cell types. Biochemical crosstalk between cardiomyocytes (CM) and microvascular endothelial cells (MVEC) is essential to maintain contractility and healthy tissue homeostasis. Yet, as myocytes beat, heterocellular communication occurs also through constantly fluctuating biomechanical stimuli, namely (1) compressive and tensile forces generated directly by the beating myocardium, and (2) pulsatile shear stress caused by intra-microvascular flow. Despite endothelial cells (EC) being highly mechanosensitive, the role of biomechanical stimuli from beating CM as a regulatory mode of myocardial-microvascular crosstalk is relatively unexplored. Given that cardiac biomechanics are dramatically altered

SUBMITTER: King O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8245389 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature