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Isochoric supercooled preservation and revival of human cardiac microtissues.

ABSTRACT: Low-temperature biopreservation and 3D tissue engineering present two differing routes towards eventual on-demand access to transplantable biologics, but recent advances in both fields present critical new opportunities for crossover between them. In this work, we demonstrate sub-zero centigrade preservation and revival of autonomously beating three-dimensional human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiac microtissues via isochoric supercooling, without the use of chemical cryoprotectants. We show that these tissues can cease autonomous beating during preservation and resume it after warming, that the supercooling process does not affect sarcomere structural integrity, and that the tissues maintain responsiveness to drug exposure following revival. Our work suggests both that functional three dimensional (3D) engineered tissues may provide an excellent high-content, low-risk testbed to study complex tissue biopreservation in a genetically human context, and that isochoric supercooling may provide a robust method for preserving and reviving engineered tissues themselves.

SUBMITTER: Powell-Palm MJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8458396 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Isochoric supercooled preservation and revival of human cardiac microtissues.

Powell-Palm Matthew J MJ Charwat Verena V Charrez Berenice B Siemons Brian B Healy Kevin E KE Rubinsky Boris B

Communications biology 20210922 1

Low-temperature biopreservation and 3D tissue engineering present two differing routes towards eventual on-demand access to transplantable biologics, but recent advances in both fields present critical new opportunities for crossover between them. In this work, we demonstrate sub-zero centigrade preservation and revival of autonomously beating three-dimensional human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiac microtissues via isochoric supercooling, without the use of chemical cryopro ...[more]

PMID: 34552201

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Project description:The first macrophages that seed the developing heart originate from the yolk sac during fetal life. While murine studies reveal important homeostatic and reparative functions in adults, we know little about their roles in the earliest stages of human heart development due to a lack of accessible tissue. Generation of bioengineered human cardiac microtissues from pluripotent stem cells models these first steps in cardiac tissue development, however macrophages have not been included in these studies. To bridge these gaps, we differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into primitive LYVE1+ macrophages (hESC-macrophages; akin to yolk sac macrophages) that stably engrafted within cardiac microtissues composed of hESC-cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts to study reciprocal interactions. Engraftment induced a tissue resident macrophage gene program resembling human fetal cardiac macrophages, enriched in efferocytic pathways. Functionally, hESC-macrophages induced production and maturation of cardiomyocyte sarcomeric proteins, and enhanced contractile force, relaxation kinetics, and electrical properties. Mechanistically, the primary effect of hESC-macrophages was during the stressful events surrounding early microtissue formation, where they engaged in phosphatidylserine dependent ingestion of apoptotic cardiomyocyte cargo, which reinforced core resident macrophage identity, reduced microtissue stress and drove hESC-cardiomyocytes to become more similar to human ventricular cardiomyocytes found in early development, both transcriptionally and metabolically. Inhibiting efferocytosis of hESC-cardiomyocytes by hESC-macrophages led to increased cell stress, impaired sarcomeric protein maturation and reduced cardiac microtissue function (contraction and relaxation). Taken together, macrophage-engineered human cardiac microtissues represent a considerably improved model for human heart development, and reveal a major beneficial, yet previously unappreciated role for human primitive macrophages in enhancing cardiac tissue function.

Project description:IntroductionAlthough atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent disorder of electrical conduction, the mechanisms behind atrial arrhythmias remain elusive. To address this challenge, we developed a robust in vitro model of 3D atrial microtissue from human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes and evaluated chamber-specific chemical responses experimentally and computationally.MethodsWe differentiated atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes (aCMs/vCMs) from GCaMP6f-expressing hiPSCs and assessed spontaneous AP activity using fluorescence imaging. Self-assembling 3D microtissues were formed with lactate purified CMs and 5% human cardiac fibroblasts and electrically stimulated for one week before high resolution action potential (AP) optical mapping. AP responses to the atrial-specific potassium repolarizing current I Kur-blocker 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) and funny current I f-blocker Ivabradine were characterized within their therapeutic window. Finally, we expanded upon a published hiPSC-CM computational model by incorporating the atrial-specific I Kur current, modifying ion channel conductances to match the AP waveforms of our microtissues, and employing the updated model to reinforce our experimental findings.ResultsHigh purity CMs (> 75% cTnT+) demonstrated subtype specification by MLC2v expression. Spontaneous beating rates significantly decreased following 3D microtissue formation, with atrial microtissues characterized by their faster spontaneous beating rate, slower AP rise time, and shorter AP duration (APD) compared to ventricular microtissues. We measured atrial-specific responses, including dose-dependent APD prolongation with 4-AP treatment and dose-dependent reduction in spontaneous activity post-Ivabradine treatment.ConclusionThe presented in vitro platform for screening atrial-specific responses is both robust and sensitive, with high throughput, enabling studies focused at elucidating the mechanisms underlying atrial arrhythmias.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12195-021-00703-x.

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Isochoric supercooled preservation and revival of human cardiac microtissues.

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Isochoric supercooled preservation and revival of human cardiac microtissues.

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