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An Alginate/Gelatin Injectable Hydrogel Containing Au Nanoparticles for Transplantation of Embryonic Mouse Cardiomyocytes in Myocardial Repair Publisher Pubmed



Pournemati B1 ; Tabesh H1 ; Mehdinavaz Aghdam R2 ; Rezayan AH1 ; Poorkhalil A1 ; Ahmadi Tafti SH3 ; Heiranitabasi A3 ; Eyni H4 ; Malekmohamadi M1 ; Boroumand S3 ; Pinna A5, 6
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Life Science Engineering, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, 14399, Iran
  2. 2. School of Metallurgy & Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, 14399, Iran
  3. 3. Research Center for Advanced Technologies In Cardiovascular Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14399, Iran
  4. 4. Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14496, Iran
  5. 5. School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
  6. 6. The Francis Crick Institute, Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom

Source: Macromolecular Bioscience Published:2025


Abstract

In advancing cardiac tissue engineering (CTE), the development of injectable hydrogels mirroring myocardial properties is pivotal. The designed hydrogels must not only support cardiac cell growth but also have to be conductive to properly promote the functionalities of cardiac cells. Here, a facile approach is developed to incorporate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into an injectable hydrogel composed of Alginate (Alg) and Gelatin (Gel). The resultant nanocomposite hydrogel boasts a porous interconnected network and superior conductivity (2.04 × 10–4 S cm−1) compared to the base Alg/Gel hydrogel. Hydrogel hydration and in vitro degradation profiles affirm their suitability as carriers for cardiac cells. Importantly, Alg/Gel+AuNPs hydrogels exhibit no toxicity to mouse Embryonic Cardiac Cells (mECCs) over 7 days, elevating connexin 43 (Cx43) and cardiac troponin T (CTnT) gene expression compared to controls. Then, the Alg/Gel+AuNPs hydrogel is used as a carrier for intramyocardial delivery of mECCs in rats with myocardial infarction. The significant increase in α-Smooth Muscle Actin (α-SMA) and cardiac troponin T (CTnT) expression along with the increase in ejection fraction (EF), smaller infarction size, less fibrosis area confirmed that the hydrogel efficiently promoted the transmission of mechanical and electrical signals between transplanted cells and surrounding tissue. © 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
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