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We present a protocol for ex vivo cultivation of human ventricular myocardial tissue. It allows for detailed analysis of contraction force and kinetics, as well as the application of pre- and afterload to mimic the in vivo physiological environment more closely.
Cardiomyocyte cultivation has seen a vast number of developments, ranging from two-dimensional (2D) cell cultivation to iPSC derived organoids. In 2019, an ex vivo way to cultivate myocardial slices obtained from human heart samples was demonstrated, while approaching in vivo condition of myocardial contraction. These samples originate mostly from heart transplantations or left-ventricular assist device placements. Using a vibratome and a specially developed cultivation system, 300 µm thick slices are placed between a fixed and a spring wire, allowing for stable and reproducible cultivation for several weeks. During cultivation, the slices are continuously stimulated according to individual settings. Contractions can be displayed and recorded in real-time, and pharmacological agents can be readily applied. User-defined stimulation protocols can be scheduled and performed to assess vital contraction parameters like post-pause-potentiation, stimulation threshold, force-frequency relation, and refractory period. Furthermore, the system enables a variable pre- and afterload setting for a more physiological cultivation.
Here, we present a step-by-step guide on how to generate a successful long-term cultivation of human left ventricular myocardial slices, using a commercial biomimetic cultivation solution.
In the past decade, in vitro cultivation of myocardial cells has made great advances, ranging from 2D and three-dimensional (3D) techniques to the use of organoids and induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated into cardiac myocytes1,2,3. Ex vivo and primary cell cultivations have shown to be of great value, especially for genetic studies and drug development4,5,6. Using human tissues improves the translational value of the results. Long-term 3D cultivation of myocardial tissues with intact geometry, however, is not well-established. The intact geometry is a key feature to mimic in vivo conditions, as proper cardiac function, communication between different cells, as well as cell-matrix interactions are prerequisites. Myocardial tissue cultivation went through various phases of development. The success rate and stability of ex vivo myocardial tissue cultivation were initially quite low, but recent approaches have yielded promising results7,8,9,10,11.
Among those, Fischer et al. were the first to demonstrate that viability and contractile performance of human myocardial tissue can be maintained in ex vivo cell cultivation for many weeks7. Their technique was based on thin tissue slices cut from explanted human myocardium, which were mounted in newly developed cultivation chambers that provided defined biomechanical conditions and continuous electrical stimulation. This cultivation method closely resembles the in vivo function of myocardial tissue, and has been reproduced by several independent research groups2,12,13,14,15. Importantly, the chambers used by Fischer et al. also enabled continuous registration of developed forces for up to 4 months, and thus opened unprecedented opportunities for physiological and pharmacological research on intact human myocardium7.
Similar techniques were independently developed by other groups and applied to human, rat, porcine, and rabbit myocardium7,10,11. Pitoulis et al. subsequently developed a more physiological method, which reproduces the normal force-length relation during a contraction cycle, but is less suitable for high-throughput analysis16. As such, the general approach of biomimetic cultivation can be regarded as a further step into the reduction, refinement, and replacement (3R) of animal experiments.
However, exploitation of this potential requires standardized procedures, high content analyses, and a high throughput level. We present a technique that combines automated slicing of living human myocardium with in vitro maintenance in a biomimetic cultivation system that has become commercially available (see Table of Materials). With the proposed approach, the number of individual slices that can be generated from a single transmural myocardial specimen is only limited by the processing time. A specimen of sufficient size and quality (3 cm x 3 cm) often yields 20-40 tissue slices being conveniently cut with an automated vibratome. These slices can be placed in cultivation chambers belonging to the system. The chambers allow for electrical stimulation, the parameters of which can be modulated (i.e., pulse duration, polarity, rate, and current), as well as the adjustment of pre- and afterload, using spring wires inside the chambers. The contraction of each slice is registered from the movement of a small magnet attached to a spring wire and displayed as an interpretable graph. Data can be recorded at all times and analyzed using freely available software. Aside from the constant baseline pacing, scheduled protocols can be performed to functionally assess their refractory period, stimulation threshold, post-pause-potentiation, and force-frequency relation.
This long-term biomimetic cultivation of multiple myocardial slices from an individual heart paves the way for future ex vivo research in both human and animal tissue, and facilitates the screening for therapeutic and cardiotoxic drug effects in cardiovascular medicine. It has already been applied to various experimental approaches2,12,13,15. Here, we give a detailed step-by-step description of the preparation of human tissue and provide solutions for frequently encountered cultivation problems.
Tissue collection for the experiments described here was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Munich and the Ruhr-University Bochum. Studies were conducted according to Declaration of Helsinki guidelines. Patients gave their written informed consent prior to tissue collection.
1. Tissue acquisition
2. Preparing agarose and the vibratome
3. Trimming and embedding the samples
4. Placing the samples on cutting tray
5. Starting the vibratome
6. Medium and incubator preparation during slicing procedure
7. Preparing the slices
NOTE: Initial subendocardial slices are commonly not suitable for tissue cultivation and need to be discarded because of uneven morphology. After the first five to 10 slices, slice texture and morphology improve. The ideal slice is at least 1 cm x 1 cm, has no or only limited fibrotic patches, is not fragmented, and has homogeneous fiber alignment (Figure 2B, D). Interstitial fibrosis, located between the myocyte fibers, is often present in failing human myocardium. Surprisingly, this is not a negative predictor of cultivation success.
8. Mounting the slices
NOTE: The afterload is determined by the stiffness of the spring wire in the cultivation chambers. Three different types are available, based on the thickness of the spring wire.
9. Changing the medium
The contraction of the myocardial slices was displayed on the computer screen after insertion of the cultivation chamber into its corresponding connector (Figure 3). Contraction of the human myocardial slices started immediately upon stimulation. The slices hypercontracted for 5-10 min. This was visible as an increase of diastolic forces, caused by a tonic contracture of damaged tissue fractions. This process was reverted to varying degrees within 1-1.5 h. After stabilizing, human LV tissue ...
In the past, cardiovascular research has made great advances in the cultivation of cardiomyocytes. However, the 3D cultivation of cardiomyocytes with intact geometry is not yet well-established. Compared to previous protocols applied for ex vivo cultivation of myocardial tissue, the protocol that we described here resembles the in vivo environment of the tissue more closely. Moreover, the application of pre- and afterload allows for a more biomimetic environment. We are able to fully analyze and underst...
JH, PS, DM, and KL have nothing to disclose. AD and TS are shareholders of InVitroSys GmbH, which provides the Myodish cultivation system.
Research was funded by DZHK grants 81Z0600207 (JH, PS, and DM) and 81X2600253 (AD and TS).
The authors would like to thank Claudia Fahney, Mei-Ping Wu, and Matthias Semisch for their support in preparing the set-ups, as well as for the regular maintenance of the tissue cultivation.
Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
Chemicals | |||
Agarose Low melting point | Roth | 6351.2 | |
Bay-K8644 | Cayman Chemical | 19988 | |
BDM (2,3-Butanedione monoxime) | Sigma | B0753-1kg | |
CaCl2*H2O | Merck | 2382.1 | |
Calciseptine | Alomone Labs | SPC-500 | |
Glucose*H2O | AppliChem | A3730.0500 | |
H2O | BBraun | 3703452 | |
HEPES | AppliChem | A1069.0500 | |
Histoacryl | BBraun | 1050052 | |
Isopropanol 100% | SAV LP GmbH | UN1219 | |
ITS-X-supplement | Gibco | 5150056 | |
KCl | Merck | 1.04933.0500 | |
Medium 199 | Gibco | 31150-022 | |
MgCl2*6H2O | AppliChem | A1036.0500 | |
NaCl | Sigma | S5886-1KG | |
NaH2PO4*H2O | Merck | 1.06346.0500 | |
Nifedipine | Sigma | N7634-1G | |
Penicillin / streptomycin x100 | Sigma | P0781-100ML | |
β-Mercaptoethanol | AppliChem | A1108.0100 | |
Laboratory equipment | |||
Flow cabinet | Thermo Scientific | KS15 | |
Frigomix waterpump and cooling + BBraun Thermomix BM | BBraun | In-house made combination of cooling and heating solution. | |
Incubator | Binder | CB240 | |
MyoDish bioreactor system | InVitroSys GmbH | MyoDish 1 | Myodish cultute system |
Vibratome | Leica | VT1200s | |
Water bath 37 degrees | Haake | SWB25 | |
Water bath 80 degrees | Daglef Patz KG | 7070 | |
Materials | |||
100 mL plastic single-use beaker | Sarstedt | 75.562.105 | |
Filtration unit, Steritop Quick Release | Millipore | S2GPT05RE | |
Needles 0.9 x 70 mm 20G | BBraun | 4665791 | |
Plastic triangles | In-house made | ||
Razor Derby premium | Derby Tokai | B072HJCFK6 | |
Razor Gillette Silver Blue | Gillette | 7393560010170 | |
Scalpel disposable | Feather | 02.001.30.020 | |
Syringe 10 mL Luer tip BD Discardit | BBraun | 309110 | |
Tissue Culture Dish 10 cm | Falcon | 353003 | |
Tissue Culture Dish 3.5 cm | Falcon | 353001 | |
Tubes 50 mL | Falcon | 352070 |
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