High resolution 3D microscopy study of cardiomyocytes on polymer scaffold nanofibers reveals formation of unusual sheathed structure

Acta Biomaterialia
Victor BalashovKonstantin Agladze

Abstract

Building functional and robust scaffolds for engineered biological tissue requires a nanoscale mechanistic understanding of how cells use the scaffold for their growth and development. A vast majority of the scaffolds used for cardiac tissue engineering are based on polymer materials, the matrices of nanofibers. Attempts to load the polymer fibers of the scaffold with additional sophisticated features, such as electrical conductivity and controlled release of the growth factors or other biologically active molecules, as well as trying to match the mechanical features of the scaffold to those of the extracellular matrix, cannot be efficient without a detailed knowledge of how the cells are attached and strategically positioned with respect to the scaffold nanofibers at micro and nanolevel. Studying single cell - single fiber interactions with the aid of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning probe nanotomography (SPNT), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we found that cardiac cells actively interact with substrate nanofibers, but in different ways. While cardiomyocytes often create a remarkable "sheath" structure, enveloping fiber and, thus, substantially increasing contact zone, fibroblasts interact with n...Continue Reading

Citations

Jul 13, 2019·Journal of Biological Engineering·Anh H NguyenHung Cao

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