Simultaneous measurement of contraction forces and field potentials of cardiomyocytes subjected to ion channel inhibitors

Abstract

Cardiomyocytes (CMs) cultured on a micro engineered platform are essential in determining drug-induced cardiotoxicity and serving as a disease model in the preclinical stage. Despite significant advancements in related biotechnology, fully comprehending the complex functional properties of CMs composed of two- or three-dimensional tissue structures remains a challenge. This is due to the currently available biosensing platforms have been optimized to measure either electrophysiology or mechanophysiology of CMs. To overcome the limitation of the current state of the art, herein, we propose a unique biosensing platform capable of measuring both the contraction force and field potential of drug-induced CMs simultaneously. The contraction force and its correlation with the extracellular field potential of layered CMs cultured on a 10 µm thick polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) diaphragm are measured in real-time using a laser vibrometer and integrated microelectrode arrays (MEAs). The layered CMs cultured on a nanogrooved PDMS diaphragm respond efficaciously to a Na+ channel inhibitor (Lidocaine), and the electro-/mechanophysiological measurements provides a correlation between Lidocaine's cardiotoxic effect on the contraction force and field potential signal of CMs.