CARBON NANOTUBES SCAFFOLDS AS A NEW BASIS FOR CARDIAC TISSUE ENGINEERING


Carlin S. Long, M.D., University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA

In our previously published work we reported that MWCNTs used as growth supports for culturing neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM) increase myocyte proliferation and induce a more negative resting potential, suggesting that carbon nanotubes promote cardiomyocyte maturation. However, the mechanistic link between the enhanced cardiomyocyte proliferation and maturation and carbon nanotubes interaction was unknown. We subsequently investigated the gene program of the cardiac myocytes cultured with the CNTs and have found that the exposure to CNTs not only induces the expression of more mature, adult genes, but also prevents the induction of the pathologic gene program when these cells are exposed to the hypertrophic agonist Phenylephrine. In an effort to explore the effects on the entirety of the NRVM gene profile we have recently performed a series of transcriptome analyses on myocytes cultured in the presence or absence of CNTs and also in response to Phenylephrine. Preliminary bioinformatics analysis of these results confirms the pro-proliferative response for the myocytes cultured on CNTs and promotion of a more “normal” gene program. Based on these findings, we propose that the consistent and unique effects of carbon nanotubes on myocardial cells may have very important potential for clinical applications in the currently challenging field of regenerative medicine as applied to striated muscle.