TY - JOUR
T1 - Culturing of Cardiac Fibroblasts in Engineered Heart Matrix Reduces Myofibroblast Differentiation but Maintains Their Response to Cyclic Stretch and Transforming Growth Factor beta 1
AU - Ploeg, M.C.
AU - Munts, C.
AU - Seddiqi, T.
AU - ten Brink, T.J.L.
AU - Breemhaar, J.
AU - Moroni, L.
AU - Prinzen, F.W.
AU - van Nieuwenhoven, F.A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/10/1
Y1 - 2022/10/1
N2 - Isolation and culturing of cardiac fibroblasts (CF) induces rapid differentiation toward a myofibroblast phenotype, which is partly mediated by the high substrate stiffness of the culture plates. In the present study, a 3D model of Engineered Heart Matrix (EHM) of physiological stiffness (Youngs modulus similar to 15 kPa) was developed using primary adult rat CF and a natural hydrogel collagen type 1 matrix. CF were equally distributed, viable and quiescent for at least 13 days in EHM and the baseline gene expression of myofibroblast-markers alfa-smooth muscle actin (Acta2), and connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf) was significantly lower, compared to CF cultured in 2D monolayers. CF baseline gene expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (Tgf beta 1) and brain natriuretic peptide (Nppb) was higher in EHM-fibers compared to the monolayers. EHM stimulation by 10% cyclic stretch (1 Hz) increased the gene expression of Nppb (3.0-fold), Ctgf (2.1-fold) and Tgf beta 1 (2.3-fold) after 24 h. Stimulation of EHM with TGF beta 1 (1 ng/mL, 24 h) induced Tgf beta 1 (1.6-fold) and Ctgf (1.6-fold). In conclusion, culturing CF in EHM of physiological stiffness reduced myofibroblast marker gene expression, while the CF response to stretch or TGF beta 1 was maintained, indicating that our novel EHM structure provides a good physiological model to study CF function and myofibroblast differentiation.
AB - Isolation and culturing of cardiac fibroblasts (CF) induces rapid differentiation toward a myofibroblast phenotype, which is partly mediated by the high substrate stiffness of the culture plates. In the present study, a 3D model of Engineered Heart Matrix (EHM) of physiological stiffness (Youngs modulus similar to 15 kPa) was developed using primary adult rat CF and a natural hydrogel collagen type 1 matrix. CF were equally distributed, viable and quiescent for at least 13 days in EHM and the baseline gene expression of myofibroblast-markers alfa-smooth muscle actin (Acta2), and connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf) was significantly lower, compared to CF cultured in 2D monolayers. CF baseline gene expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (Tgf beta 1) and brain natriuretic peptide (Nppb) was higher in EHM-fibers compared to the monolayers. EHM stimulation by 10% cyclic stretch (1 Hz) increased the gene expression of Nppb (3.0-fold), Ctgf (2.1-fold) and Tgf beta 1 (2.3-fold) after 24 h. Stimulation of EHM with TGF beta 1 (1 ng/mL, 24 h) induced Tgf beta 1 (1.6-fold) and Ctgf (1.6-fold). In conclusion, culturing CF in EHM of physiological stiffness reduced myofibroblast marker gene expression, while the CF response to stretch or TGF beta 1 was maintained, indicating that our novel EHM structure provides a good physiological model to study CF function and myofibroblast differentiation.
U2 - 10.3390/bioengineering9100551
DO - 10.3390/bioengineering9100551
M3 - Article
C2 - 36290519
SN - 2306-5354
VL - 9
JO - Bioengineering
JF - Bioengineering
IS - 10
M1 - 551
ER -