Abstract
This paper describes the surface-patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pillar arrays for enhancing cell alignment and contraction force in cardiomyocytes. The PDMS micropillar (μpillar) arrays with microgrooves (μgrooves) were fabricated using a unique micro-mold made using SU-8 double layer processes. The spring constant of the μpillar arrays was experimentally confirmed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). After culturing cardiac cells on the two different types of μpillar arrays, with and without grooves on the top of μpillar, the characteristics of the cardiomyocytes were analyzed using a custom-made image analysis system. The alignment of the cardiomyocytes on the μgrooves of the μpillars was clearly observed using a DAPI staining process. The mechanical force generated by the contraction force of the cardiomyocytes was derived from the displacement of the μpillar arrays. The contraction force of the cardiomyocytes aligned on the μgrooves was 20% higher than that of the μpillar arrays without μgrooves. The experimental results prove that applied geometrical stimulus is an effective method for aligning and improving the contraction force of cardiomyocytes.
Highlights
The heart is the most important organ and performs a vital function in living organisms; it consists of atria, ventricles, and valves that contract regularly and continuously
The distance from the center of one pillar to the center of another pillar was roughly 23 μm. 45 ̋ -tilted scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs for μpillar arrays without and with μgrooves are shown in Figure 4c,d, respectively
Primary cell has finite life time spun depending on cell source type and average displacement converted into a contraction force for μpillar arrays without and with μgrooves growing function [30]
Summary
The heart is the most important organ and performs a vital function in living organisms; it consists of atria, ventricles, and valves that contract regularly and continuously. Electrophysiology-based assays for the interactions of compounds with hERG (the human ether-à-go-go-related gene) channels are mainly used for in vitro methods to screen the cardiac toxicity of drugs [7,8]. Sensors 2016, 16, 1258 measures the changes in voltage-gated ions based on the action potential (AP) of cardiomyocytes These assays are only applied to a single cell at a time and are unsuitable for measuring cell mechanical properties such as contraction force [9]. A variety of methods for quantitatively evaluating the contraction force have been developed to better understand the mechanics and physiology of cardiomyocytes, namely, the abnormal characteristics of cardiomyocytes under the effect of drugs [11]. Contraction force and direction for potential high-throughput drug screening in the future
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