Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
Shanghai Institute of Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation, Shanghai 200092, China.
ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2024 Apr 8;10(4):2451-2462. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01837. Epub 2024 Mar 1.
Myocardial infarction (MI) results in an impaired heart function. Conductive hydrogel patch-based therapy has been considered as a promising strategy for cardiac repair after MI. In our study, we fabricated a three-dimensional (3D) printed conductive hydrogel patch made of fibrinogen scaffolds and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with graphene oxide (GO) flakes (MSC@GO), capitalizing on GO's excellent mechanical property and electrical conductivity. The MSC@GO hydrogel patch can be attached to the epicardium adhesion to provide strong electrical integration with infarcted hearts, as well as mechanical and regeneration support for the infarcted area, thereby up-regulating the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) and resulting in effective MI repair . In addition, MI also triggers apoptosis and damage of cardiomyocytes (CMs), hindering the normal repair of the infarcted heart. GO flakes exhibit a protective effect against the apoptosis of implanted MSCs. In the mouse model of MI, MSC@GO hydrogel patch implantation supported cardiac repair by reducing cell apoptosis, promoting gap connexin protein Cx43 expression, and then boosting cardiac function. Together, this study demonstrated that the conductive hydrogel patch has versatile conductivity and mechanical support function and could therefore be a promising candidate for heart repair.
心肌梗死（MI）导致心脏功能受损。基于导电水凝胶贴片的治疗方法被认为是 MI 后心脏修复的一种有前途的策略。在我们的研究中，我们制造了一种由纤维蛋白原支架和间充质干细胞（MSCs）与氧化石墨烯（GO）片结合而成的三维（3D）打印导电水凝胶贴片（MSC@GO），利用 GO 的优异机械性能和导电性。MSC@GO 水凝胶贴片可以附着于心外膜以提供与梗死心脏的强电整合，以及对梗死区域的机械和再生支持，从而上调连接蛋白 43（Cx43）的表达，并有效修复 MI。此外，MI 还会引发心肌细胞（CMs）的凋亡和损伤，阻碍梗死心脏的正常修复。GO 薄片对植入的 MSCs 的凋亡具有保护作用。在 MI 的小鼠模型中，MSC@GO 水凝胶贴片的植入通过减少细胞凋亡、促进间隙连接蛋白 Cx43 的表达，从而增强心脏功能，支持心脏修复。总之，这项研究表明，导电水凝胶贴片具有多功能的导电性和机械支撑功能，因此可能是心脏修复的一种有前途的候选物。
