Culturing Mouse Cardiac Valves in the Miniature Tissue Culture System

Boudewijn P.T. Kruithof; Samuel C. Lieber; Marianna Kruithof-de Julio; Vincian Gaussin; Marie Jos&#233; Goumans

doi:10.3791/52750

Culturing Mouse Cardiac Valves in the Miniature Tissue Culture System

JoVE Journal
Bioengineering

A subscription to JoVE is required to view this content. Sign in or start your free trial.

JoVE Journal Bioengineering

Culturing Mouse Cardiac Valves in the Miniature Tissue Culture System

Full Text

9,365 Views

08:47 min

October 19, 2015

DOI: 10.3791/52750-v

Boudewijn P.T. Kruithof¹, Samuel C. Lieber², Marianna Kruithof-de Julio³, Vincian Gaussin⁴, Marie José Goumans¹

¹Department of Molecular Cell Biology,Leiden University Medical Center, ²Department of Engineering Technology,New Jersey Institute of Technology, ³Department of Urology,Leiden University Medical Center, ⁴Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine,Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Overview

This article presents a method for culturing murine cardiac valves using a miniature tissue culture system (MTCS). The procedure allows for the study of valve biology through histological analysis.

Key Study Components

Area of Science

Cardiac biology
Tissue culture
Histological analysis

Background

Understanding cardiac valve biology is crucial for addressing heart diseases.
Ex vivo models provide insights into valve function and pathology.
The MTCS enables controlled culture conditions for cardiac tissues.
Histological techniques are essential for assessing tissue viability and structure.

Purpose of Study

To develop a reliable ex vivo model for studying murine cardiac valves.
To assess the viability and morphology of cultured valves.
To investigate extracellular matrix distribution in valve tissues.

Methods Used

Assembly of the MTCS without the perfusion chamber.
Harvesting and preparing mouse hearts for cannulation.
Cannulation of mitral or aortic valves in the perfusion chamber.
Histological analysis to evaluate valve characteristics.

Main Results

Successful culture of murine cardiac valves using the MTCS.
Assessment of valve viability and morphology through histology.
Distribution of extracellular matrix components analyzed.
Insights gained into the biology of cardiac valves.

Conclusions

The MTCS is an effective tool for studying cardiac valve biology.
Histological methods provide valuable information on valve health.
This model can be used for future research on valve-related diseases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MTCS?

The MTCS is a miniature tissue culture system designed for culturing small tissue samples, such as cardiac valves.

Why study murine cardiac valves?

Murine cardiac valves serve as a model to understand human heart valve biology and diseases.

What techniques are used for analysis?

Histological analysis is used to assess the viability and morphology of the cultured valves.

How are the valves cultured?

Valves are cultured using a perfusion chamber connected to the MTCS, allowing for nutrient flow.

What are the implications of this study?

The findings can help in developing treatments for valve-related heart diseases.

Can this model be applied to other tissues?

While this study focuses on cardiac valves, the MTCS may be adapted for other tissue types.

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.

The overall goal of this procedure is to culture mouse cardiac valves using the miniature tissue culture system or MTCS. This is accomplished by first assembling the MTCS without the profusion chamber and circulating the medium to precondition the system. In the second step, the mouse heart is harvested and prepared for cannulation.

Next, the heart is placed in the profusion chamber where it is cannulated for a culture of the mitral or aortic valve. The perfusion chamber is then placed in the MTCS and the pump has started. Ultimately, histological analysis is used to assess the viability, morphology and extracellular matrix distribution of the valve.

View the full transcript and gain access to thousands of scientific videos