Carbon Nanohorns Promote Maturation of Neonatal Rat Ventricular Myocytes and Inhibit Proliferation of Cardiac Fibroblasts: a Promising Scaffold for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Cardiac tissue engineering (CTE) has developed rapidly, but a great challenge remains in finding practical scaffold materials for the construction of engineered cardiac tissues. Carbon nanohorns (CNHs) may be a potential candidate due to their special structure and properties. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of CNHs on the biological behavior of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) for CTE applications. CNHs were incorporated into collagen to form growth substrates for NRVMs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations demonstrated that CNHs exhibited a good affinity to collagen. Moreover, it was found that CNH-embedded substrates enhanced adhesion and proliferation of NRVMs. Immunohistochemical staining, western blot analysis, and intracellular calcium transient measurements indicated that the addition of CNHs significantly increased the expression and maturation of electrical and mechanical proteins (connexin-43 and N-cadherin). Bromodeoxyuridine staining and a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay showed that CNHs have the ability to inhibit the proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts. These findings suggest that CNHs can have a valuable effect on the construction of engineered cardiac tissues and may be a promising scaffold for CTE.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s11671-016-1464-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Conductive Scaffolds for Cardiac and Neuronal Tissue Engineering: Governing Factors and Mechanisms

“…The authors maintain that microscopic conductivity plays a key role, despite the measured differences. This provides clear evidence that measured bulk conductivity is not directly related to improved cardiomyogenesis, but can be indicative of the presence of conductive elements . The presence of nanotopographical cues or a stiffer substrate may also contribute to improved cell growth, but this was not addressed in the study.…”

“…Wu et al doped carbon nanohorns (CNHs) onto a collagen hydrogel scaffold, dubbed CNH–Col . CNHs exhibit conductive properties similar to that of CNTs, but do not require toxic metal catalysts for their production .…”

Electroactive graphene oxide‐incorporated collagen assisting vascularization for cardiac tissue engineering

“…This material results in minimum inflammation and foreign body reaction, as well as exceptional biocompatibility and biodegradability . Although, Col has shown a positive effect on cardiac regeneration, similarly to other natural polymers, some limitations, such as unstable mechanical properties and low electrical conductivity, persist . To produce electroactive scaffolds with improved mechanical properties, GO was incorporated into the Col matrix by covalent bonding.…”

Fabrication, characterization, and biocompatibility assessment of a novel elastomeric nanofibrous scaffold: A potential scaffold for soft tissue engineering

“…Polycaprolactone fumarate (PCLF) has been developed as a crosslinkable and unsaturated fumarate‐based derivative of polycaprolactone (PCL). It is biocompatible and due to representing broad range of mechanical properties, has been used as a promising material for nerve and bone tissue engineering …”

“…It is biocompatible and due to representing broad range of mechanical properties, has been used as a promising material for nerve and bone tissue engineering. [13][14][15][16] Nanofibrous scaffolds are one of the scaffold types which have been used for soft tissue engineering applications. Such scaffolds benefit from high surface area to volume ratio and dimensional similarity with native extracellular matrix, making them an interesting substrate for tissue engineering applications.…”