Multiscale X-ray Structural Analysis of Cardiac Cells and Tissues

Abstract

List of publications Danksagung Curriculum Vitaeday. Considering an average volume of 70 ml to 80 ml per beat, more than 7 000 liters of blood are pumped through the body each day. The synchronized contraction of the excitable cardiac tissue cells is controlled by the conduction system, which initiates an electric signal in the sinoatrial node and coordinates the propagation of the action potential through the heart. The continuous function of the heart during its entire lifetime is essential for the proper maintenance of all vital organs. Small dysfunctions or abnormalities can cause drastic changes and effects in the human organism. Therefore, it is very important to understand the cardiac structure from the molecular level up to the scale of the entire organ, as well as its function within the body.The primary aim of this thesis is to develop imaging protocols to probe the entire cy- Cardiac structure and (dys)functionCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the main cause of death worldwide with a rising incidence. While CVDs were responsible for less than 10% of the deaths worldwide by the beginning of the 20th century, the number of CVD-related deaths increased to over 30% by 2016 [6-8]. This corresponds to 17.9 million global deaths due to CVDs in one year. The major share of these death (85%) is attributed to heart attacks and from the ancient Egyptians [17]. (B) Drawing of the cardiac anatomy by Aristotle [15]. (C) Sketch of the heart by Leonardo da Vinci [15]. (D) Cardiac model by Richard Lower [18]. (E) Text book figure of Henry Gray's anatomy [16]. (F) Concept of a "Triebwerk" by Ludolf Krehl [18]. (G) Jane Sands Robb's model of the heart [18]. (H) Cardiac fiber model of Alfred Benninghoff and Kurt Goerttler [18]. (I) Model of the helical ventricular band by Francisco Torrent-Guasp [18]. Anatomie des Menschen"), Xavier Bichat ("Anatomie Generale") and Henry Gray and Henry Vandyke Carter ("Grays Anatomy"). Nevertheless, due to ongoing research and new discoveries the textbooks had to be updated constantly. In October 2020, the 42th edition of "Grays Anatomy" was released. Concerning the cardiac anatomy, most of the open questions were related to the cardiac function and structural changes caused by CVDs. For example, in 1891 Ludolf Krehl introduced the idea of a circumferential Historically, the observation of the heart structure started by documenting visual impressions gained from evisceration of animals or autopsies. With progress in the manufacture of optics and the invention of the microscope in the 17th century, it was possible to investigate structures in the micrometer range [48]. During this time, Marcello Malpighi was the first who identified small capillaries in the lungs of bats and established the process of oxygen uptake [49]. This procedure, later called histology (from Greek: histos, tissue and logos, study), revealed its full potential during the 19th Recently, this invention was further developed by a combination of STED and single molecule localization microscopy such as stochastic optical...