Bioelectricity‐coupling patches for repairing impaired myocardium

Abstract

Cardiac abnormalities, which account for extensive burdens on public health and economy, drive necessary attempts to revolutionize the traditional therapeutic system. Advances in cardiac tissue engineering have expanded a highly efficacious platform to address cardiovascular events, especially cardiac infarction. Current efforts to overcome biocompatible limitations highlight the constructs of a conductive cardiac patch to accelerate the industrial and clinical landscape that is amenable for patient-accurate therapy, regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and drug delivery. With the notion that cardiac tissue synchronically contracts triggered by electrical pulses, the cardiac patches based on conductive materials are developed and treated on the dysfunctional heart. In this review, we systematically summarize distinct conductive materials serving as the most promising alternatives (conductive nanomaterials, conductive polymers, piezoelectric polymers, and ionic electrolytes) to achieve electric signal transmission and engineered cardiac tissues. Existing applications are discussed considering how these patches containing conductive candidates are fabricated into diverse forms with major strategies. Ultimately, we try to define a new concept as a bioelectricity-coupling patch that provides a favorable cardiac micro-environment for cardiac functional activities. Underlying challenges and prospects are presented regarding industrial processing and cardiovascular treatment of conductive patch progress. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Cardiovascular Diseasebioelectricity-coupling patch, conductive biomaterials, myocardial repair, tissue engineering | INTRODUCTIONCardiovascular disease (CVD) poses a widespread threat to major morbidity and mortality, resulting in immense health and financial burden. According to the updated statistics, exposure to CVD poses life-threatening impacts on living quality at the level of 17.9 million death each year (Virani et al., 2021). Ischemic heart disease (IHD), especially myocardial infarction (MI), arouses significant concerns as a commonly devastating pattern of CVD (Tang et al., 2018). The

Conductive polymers for cardiac tissue engineering and regeneration

“…It has been demonstrated that both non‐conductive and conductive (salts of) polyaniline (emeraldine) promote the adhesion and proliferation of H9c2 cardiac myoblasts in a manner comparable to that of the tissue culture plate (TCP). Such results underline that after a brief period of deviation from their normal morphology, H9c2 returned to their normal morphology, indicating that conductive emeraldine can be considered an electroactive scaffold for cardiac (and presumably neuronal) tissue engineering 10,24 . Similar to well‐known growth signaling agents such as growth factors and adhesive proteins, it is becoming increasingly evident that electrical signaling plays a role in the adhesion and normal function of particular cell species, such as cardiac cells.…”

“…Such results underline that after a brief period of deviation from their normal morphology, H9c2 returned to their normal morphology, indicating that conductive emeraldine can be considered an electroactive scaffold for cardiac (and presumably neuronal) tissue engineering. 10,24 Similar to well-known growth signaling agents such as growth factors and adhesive proteins, it is becoming increasingly evident that electrical signaling plays a role in the adhesion and normal function of particular cell species, such as cardiac cells. It is hypothesized that this impact is the result of electrical, mechanical, and topographical cues supplied by CPs to cells, specifically stem cells.…”

“…These materials have several biological and non‐biological applications, including fuel cells and tissue engineering 7 . Over the past two decades, CPs have entered the field of biomaterials and have been employed to generate diverse formulations, such as hydrogels, films, and scaffolds, for tissue engineering and regeneration 8–10 . Figure 1 compares the spectrum of conductivity of CPs to that of heart tissue, insulators, and metals 11,12 …”

“…7 Over the past two decades, CPs have entered the field of biomaterials and have been employed to generate diverse formulations, such as hydrogels, films, and scaffolds, for tissue engineering and regeneration. [8][9][10] Figure 1 compares the spectrum of conductivity of CPs to that of heart tissue, insulators, and metals. 11,12 In addition to the effects of growth signaling agents (such as growth factors, adhesion proteins, and chemical and mechanical stimulation), electrical signaling is essential for the appropriate function of bone, neuronal, and cardiac tissues/cells.…”

“…11,12 In addition to the effects of growth signaling agents (such as growth factors, adhesion proteins, and chemical and mechanical stimulation), electrical signaling is essential for the appropriate function of bone, neuronal, and cardiac tissues/cells. 10 It has been demonstrated that treating polycaprolactone (PCL) with sodium hydroxide can enhance the adhesion of cardiomyocytes. 13 Similarly, several copolymers have been developed to have enhanced mechanical properties and/or conductivity that correspond to the requirements of various tissues.…”