Cardiac Cell Culture
Cardiac Cell Culture - Related Videos
08:47
Culturing Mouse Cardiac Valves in the Miniature Tissue Culture System
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Cited by 10 •
2015
Here, we present an ex vivo flow model in which murine cardiac valves can be cultured allowing the study of the biology of the valve.
07:26
Isolation of Functional Cardiac Immune Cells
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Cited by 9 •
2011
This method for isolating functional immune cells from the heart provides an alternative to the conventional methods of collagenase digestion, which causes unwanted immune cell activation, resulting in a decreased responsiveness of these cells. Our method of isolation yields functional cardiac immune cells by avoiding problems associated with enzymatic digestion.
09:18
Assessing Bacterial Invasion of Cardiac Cells in Culture and Heart Colonization in Infected Mice Using Listeria monocytogenes
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Cited by 4 •
2015
Listeria monocytogenes causes fetal infections in pregnant women and meningitis in susceptible populations. Subpopulations of bacteria can colonize cardiac tissue, causing myocarditis in patients and laboratory animals. Here we present a protocol that describes how to assess L. monocytogenes cardiac cell invasion in vitro and cardiac colonization in infected animals.
11:51
Construction of Defined Human Engineered Cardiac Tissues to Study Mechanisms of Cardiac Cell Therapy
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Cited by 16 •
2016
This manuscript describes the creation of defined engineered cardiac tissues using surface marker expression and cell sorting. The defined tissues can then be used in a multi-tissue bioreactor to investigate mechanisms of cardiac cell therapy in order to provide a functional, yet controlled, model system of the human heart.
08:52
Generation of Murine Cardiac Pacemaker Cell Aggregates Based on ES-Cell-Programming in Combination with Myh6-Promoter-Selection
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Cited by 13 •
2015
This protocol describes how to produce functional sinus nodal tissue from murine pluripotent stem cells (PSC). T-Box3 (TBX3) overexpression plus cardiac Myosin-heavy-chain (Myh6) promoter antibiotic selection leads to highly pure pacemaker cell aggregates. These “Induced-sinoatrial-bodies” (“iSABs”) contain over 80% pacemaker cells, show highly increased beating rates and are able to pace myocardium ex vivo.
FAQs
Nutrient-rich media support cell viability, while suitable culture conditions promote adhesion to the laboratory surface or engineered scaffold. For cardiomyocyte-containing cultures, these conditions may also preserve spontaneous contraction or permit contraction after electrical stimulation. Maintaining both attachment and functional activity is important because experiments examining cardiac structure, behavior, or disease require cells that remain biologically responsive throughout the study.
Researchers may isolate cardiomyocytes or other cardiac cell types depending on the biological question. Cardiomyocyte-containing cultures are useful when contraction or cardiac function is central, whereas other cardiac populations can contribute information about cellular behavior and the cardiac microenvironment. Selecting the appropriate population helps align the model with studies of development, disease, drug responses, or regeneration.
These engineering tools modify the environment surrounding the cells rather than serving only as culture supports. Biomaterials and three-dimensional scaffolds can recreate selected features of a cardiac microenvironment, microfluidic platforms provide an engineered experimental format, and electrical stimulation can produce controlled contractile activity. Together, they extend cultures beyond static two-dimensional conditions for studying cellular and tissue-level responses.
A basic workflow begins with isolating cardiomyocytes or another cardiac cell population, placing the cells in nutrient-rich media, and maintaining conditions that support viability and adhesion. The culture can then be combined with a biomaterial, microfluidic platform, electrical stimulation system, or three-dimensional scaffold. Researchers monitor the resulting cell behavior, including contraction when the model is designed to support it.
These cultures allow researchers to examine cardiac structure and function while observing how cells behave in a defined laboratory environment. Depending on the engineered format, experiments can evaluate tissue development, responses to drugs, or features relevant to regenerative strategies. Contractile activity, whether spontaneous or electrically stimulated, provides an additional functional outcome in suitable cardiomyocyte-based systems.
Engineered cardiac cultures offer controllable models for testing how cells interact with materials, stimulation, and three-dimensional environments. They support the development and evaluation of platforms designed to reproduce aspects of the cardiac microenvironment, while also enabling studies of disease, pharmacological responses, and regeneration. Because these models can reduce reliance on animal studies, they provide a useful complementary research approach.