Cardiac Tissue Digestion
Cardiac Tissue Digestion - Related Videos
10:18
Encapsulation of Cardiomyocytes in a Fibrin Hydrogel for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
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Cited by 79 •
2011
We describe the isolation of neonatal cardiomyocytes and the preparation of the cells for encapsulation in fibrin hydrogel constructs for tissue engineering. We describe methods for analyzing the tissue engineered myocardium after the culture period including active force generated upon electrical stimulation and cell viability and immunohistological staining.
04:40
Creation of Cardiac Tissue Exhibiting Mechanical Integration of Spheroids Using 3D Bioprinting
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Cited by 55 •
2017
This protocol describes 3D bioprinting of cardiac tissue without the use of biomaterials. 3D bioprinted cardiac patches exhibit mechanical integration of component spheroids and are highly promising in cardiac tissue regeneration and as 3D models of heart disease.
10:09
Capillary Force Lithography for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
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Cited by 27 •
2014
In this protocol, we demonstrate the fabrication of biomimetic cardiac cell culture substrata made from two distinct polymeric materials using capillary force lithography. The described methods provide a scalable, cost-effective technique to engineer the structure and function of macroscopic cardiac tissues for in vitro and in vivo applications.
11:54
Human Pancreatic Islet Isolation: Part I: Digestion and Collection of Pancreatic Tissue
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Cited by 20 •
2009
Achieving high quality and appropriate quantity of human islets is one of the prominent prerequisites for successful islet transplantation. In this video, we describe step by step the procedures for human pancreatic islet isolation (part I: digestion and collection of pancreatic tissue) using a modified automated method.
13:03
Epigenetic Regulation of Cardiac Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells and Tissues
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Cited by 3 •
2016
A fine tuning regulation of gene transcription underlies embryonic cell fate decision. Herein, we describe chromatin immunoprecipitation assays used to investigate epigenetic regulation of both cardiac differentiation of stem cells and cardiac development of mouse embryos.
FAQs
Collagenase breaks down extracellular-matrix proteins, while an additional protease can further loosen attachments between neighboring cells. This enzymatic combination reduces tissue cohesion without relying only on mechanical force, helping release cardiac cell populations for downstream work. The balance matters because sufficient matrix breakdown improves recovery, whereas overly harsh treatment can compromise viability and normal cellular function.
The main controllable variables are enzyme exposure, temperature, time, and agitation. Together, they determine how thoroughly minced tissue loses its structural cohesion and how well released cells remain viable and functional. Insufficient treatment may leave larger fragments, while excessive or poorly controlled treatment can damage cells. Researchers adjust these conditions to match the intended culture or analysis.
Preserving viability and function is essential because dissociation is useful only if released cardiac cells remain suitable for culture or analysis. Enzyme treatment must loosen extracellular matrix and cell-cell attachments without excessive damage. This balance determines whether preparations can support studies of cardiac structure, function, electrophysiology, or responses to tested drugs.
The degree of dissociation determines the resolution of the preparation. More complete release yields individual cells that can be examined as distinct cardiac populations, while less complete treatment yields small multicellular fragments. Selecting the appropriate endpoint allows investigators to align the sample with cellular studies or tissue-oriented experiments without treating every preparation as interchangeable.
After enzymatic exposure, cardiac tissue digestion is followed by filtration and centrifugation to prepare the resulting material for downstream use. The processed suspension can then be cultured or analyzed, depending on whether the experiment requires maintained cells or measurements from the preparation. These steps connect tissue dissociation with practical experimental workflows.
A digested preparation can support isolation and study of cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and cardiac progenitors. This range makes the technique useful beyond examining contractile cells alone, allowing experiments to focus on distinct cellular contributors to cardiac structure and function. The resulting populations can be cultured or analyzed according to the research question.
Cardiac tissue digestion supports primary cardiac cell culture, developmental and disease modeling, electrophysiology, drug testing, and tissue-engineering studies. Its value is that one preparation strategy can provide cardiac material for questions ranging from cellular behavior to functional responses and engineered tissue development. The appropriate downstream application depends on the cells or fragments recovered.