Microphysiological systems and organs-on-chips promise to accelerate biomedical and pharmaceutical research by providing accurate in vitro replicas of human tissue. Aside from addressing the physiological accuracy of the model tissues, there is a pressing need for improving the throughput of these platforms. To do so, scalable data acquisition strategies must be introduced. To this end, we here present an instrumented 24-well plate platform for higher-throughput studies of engineered human stem cell-derived cardiac muscle tissues that recapitulate the laminar structure of the native ventricle. In each well of the platform, an embedded flexible strain gauge provides continuous and non-invasive readout of the contractile stress and beat rate of an engineered cardiac tissue. The sensors are based on micro-cracked titanium-gold thin films, which ensure that the sensors are highly compliant and robust. We demonstrate the value of the platform for toxicology and drug-testing purposes by performing 12 complete dose-response studies of cardiac and cardiotoxic drugs. Additionally, we showcase the ability to couple the cardiac tissues with endothelial barriers. In these studies, which mimic the passage of drugs through the blood vessels to the musculature of the heart, we regulate the temporal onset of cardiac drug responses by modulating endothelial barrier permeability in vitro.
Purpose Blood flow to skeletal muscles and removal of metabolic by-products during a sport climb are essential to optimise performance and recovery. New Zealand blackcurrant 2 (NZBC) extract enhanced blood flow and performance in other exercise modalities. We examined the effect of NZBC extract on sport climbing performance and recovery. Methods The study employed a double-blind, randomized, cross-over design. Male sport climbers (n=18, age 24±6 yrs, height 179±6 cm, mass 71.4±7.8 kg, French grade 6a-8b) undertook 7 days supplementation of NZBC extract (600 mg•day-1 CurraNZ™ containing 210 mg anthocyanins) or a placebo (PL). Climbing ability was assessed through hang time (HT), pull-ups and total climbing time (TCT) in 3 intermittent climbing bouts on a Treadwall M6 rotating climbing wall to exhaustion with 20 min recovery between climbs. Heart rate (HR), blood lactate (BL), forearm girth (FG) and hand grip strength (HGS) were recorded. Results NZBC extract had no effect on pull-ups but provided a trend for higher HT and significantly improved TCT (+23%) compared to PL (-11%) over 3 climbs. HR, BL, FG and HGS all indicated that 20 minutes was insufficient for physiological recovery between the 3 climbing bouts indicating accumulative fatigue regardless of condition. Conclusion Despite indices of progressive fatigue across 3 bouts of climbing, NZBC extract facilitated not only a maintenance of TCT but an improved climbing endurance as compared with the PL condition. Blackcurrant anthocyanin-derived metabolites seems to affect physiological responses that facilitate sport climbing performance.
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