3D bioprinted aged human post-infarct myocardium tissue model

Fibrotic tissue formed after myocardial infarction (MI) can be as detrimental as MI itself. However, current in vitro cardiac fibrosis models fail to recapitulate the complexities of post-MI tissue. Moreover, although MI and subsequent fibrosis is most prominent in the aged population, the field suffers from inadequate aged tissue models. Herein, an aged human post-MI tissue model, representing the native microenvironment weeks after initial infarction, is engineered using three-dimensional bioprinting via creation of individual bioinks to specifically mimic three distinct regions: remote, border, and scar.

Fibrotic tissue formed after myocardial infarction (MI) can be as detrimental as MI itself. However, current in vitro cardiac fibrosis models fail to recapitulate the complexities of post-MI tissue. Moreover, although MI and subsequent fibrosis is most prominent in the aged population, the field suffers from inadequate aged tissue models. Herein, an aged human post-MI tissue model, representing the native microenvironment weeks after initial infarction, is engineered using three-dimensional bioprinting via creation of individual bioinks to specifically mimic three distinct regions: remote, border, and scar.

In conclusion, we envision that our approach of modeling post-MI aged myocardium utilizing three printheads of the bioprinter may be utilized for various applications in aged cardiac microenvironment modeling and testing novel therapeutics.

The aged post-MI tissue model is engineered through combination of gelatin methacryloyl, methacrylated hyaluronic acid, aged type I collagen, and photoinitiator at variable concentrations with different cell types, including aged human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, cardiac fibroblasts, and cardiac myofibroblasts, by introducing a methodology which utilizes three printheads of the bioprinter to model aged myocardium. Then, using cell-specific proteins, the cell types that comprised each region are confirmed using immunofluorescence. Next, the beating characteristics are analyzed. Finally, the engineered aged post-MI tissue model is used as a benchtop platform to assess the therapeutic effects of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles on the scar region.

As a result, high viability (>74%) was observed in each region of the printed model. Constructs demonstrated functional behavior, exhibiting a beating velocity of 6.7 μm/s and a frequency of 0.3 Hz. Finally, the effectiveness of hiPSC-EV and MSC-EV treatment was assessed. While hiPSC-EV treatment showed no significant changes, MSC-EV treatment notably increased cardiomyocyte beating velocity, frequency, and confluency, suggesting a regenerative potential.