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Contractile tension and beating rates of self-exciting monolayers and 3D-tissue constructs of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

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Abstract

The CellDrum technology (The term ‘CellDrum technology’ includes a couple of slightly different technological setups for measuring lateral mechanical tension in various types of cell monolayers or 3D-tissue constructs) was designed to quantify the contraction rate and mechanical tension of self-exciting cardiac myocytes. Cells were grown either within flexible, circular collagen gels or as monolayer on top of respective 1-μm thin silicone membranes. Membrane and cells were bulged outwards by air pressure. This biaxial strain distribution is rather similar the beating, blood-filled heart. The setup allowed presetting the mechanical residual stress level externally by adjusting the centre deflection, thus, mimicking hypertension in vitro. Tension was measured as oscillating differential pressure change between chamber and environment. A 0.5-mm thick collagen-cardiac myocyte tissue construct induced after 2 days of culturing (initial cell density 2 × 104 cells/ml), a mechanical tension of 1.62 ± 0.17 μN/mm2. Mechanical load is an important growth regulator in the developing heart, and the orientation and alignment of cardiomyocytes is stress sensitive. Therefore, it was necessary to develop the CellDrum technology with its biaxial stress–strain distribution and defined mechanical boundary conditions. Cells were exposed to strain in two directions, radially and circumferentially, which is similar to biaxial loading in real heart tissues. Thus, from a biomechanical point of view, the system is preferable to previous setups based on uniaxial stretching.

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Acknowledgement

The study represents part of the PhD thesis of Peter Linder and of the PhD thesis of Jürgen Trzewik, respectively, both carried out at the Dept. Cell Biophysics and Bioengineering, University of Applied Sciences Aachen and Member of the Centre of Competence in Bioengineering NRW, Germany. Cell Culture experiments were carried out with the significant support of the Centre for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Division: Molecular biological–biochemical Processing Technology, University of Leipzig, Germany (chair. Prof. Dr. Andrea Robitzki). We thank Prof. Y.C. Fung, UC San Diego, Whittaker Institute for Bioengineering, USA, who supported our initial idea on the CellDrum with great enthusiasm and interest. The study was supported by a TRAFO grant to GM. Artmann from the Ministry of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, from the European Fond for Regional Structure Development (EFRE, EU & Saxonia) and by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology with the INNONET project HPBioForce.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Molecular Biological-Biochemical Processing Technology, University of Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    P. Linder, M. Rüffer, R. Kurz & A. Rothermel

  2. Institute of Bioengineering, Department Cell Biophysics and Bioengineering, University of Applied Sciences Aachen/Campus Jülich, Ginsterweg 1, 52428, Jülich, Germany

    P. Linder & J. Trzewik

  3. Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH Research & Development, Robert-Koch-Strasse 1, 22851, Norderstedt, Germany

    J. Trzewik

  4. Chair Institute of Bioengineering, Department for Cell Biophysics and Bioengineering, University of Applied Sciences Aachen, Ginsterweg 1, 52428, Jülich, Germany

    G. M. Artmann

  5. Institute of Bioengineering, Department Cell and Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences Aachen/Campus Jülich, Ginsterweg 1, D 52428, Jülich, Germany

    I. Digel

  6. Chair Centre for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Molecular Biological-Biochemical Processing Technology, University of Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    A. Robitzki

  7. Institute of Bioengineering, Department Molecular and Biological Medicine, University of Applied Sciences Aachen/Campus Jülich, Ginsterweg 1, D 52428, Jülich, Germany

    A. Temiz Artmann

Authors
  1. P. Linder
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  2. J. Trzewik
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  3. M. Rüffer
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  4. G. M. Artmann
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  5. I. Digel
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  6. R. Kurz
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  7. A. Rothermel
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  8. A. Robitzki
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  9. A. Temiz Artmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. M. Artmann.

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Linder, P., Trzewik, J., Rüffer, M. et al. Contractile tension and beating rates of self-exciting monolayers and 3D-tissue constructs of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Med Biol Eng Comput 48, 59–65 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-009-0552-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-009-0552-y

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