@article{baeee0be5f8b4c1ebc5bbfda779ef320,
title = "The effect of immobilized RGD peptide in alginate scaffolds on cardiac tissue engineering",
abstract = "Cardiac tissue engineering aims to regenerate damaged myocardial tissues by applying heart patches created in vitro. The present study was undertaken to explore the possible role of matrix-attached RGD peptide in the engineering of cardiac tissue within macroporous scaffolds. Neonatal rat cardiac cells were seeded into RGD-immobilized or unmodified alginate scaffolds. The immobilized RGD peptide promoted cell adherence to the matrix, prevented cell apoptosis and accelerated cardiac tissue regeneration. Within 6 days, the cardiomyocytes reorganized their myofibrils and reconstructed myofibers composed of multiple cardiomyocytes in a typical myofiber bundle. The nonmyocyte cell population, mainly cardiofibroblasts, benefited greatly from adhering to the RGD-alginate matrix and consequently supported the cardiomyocytes. They often surrounded bundles of cardiac myofibers in a manner similar to that of native cardiac tissue. The benefits of culturing the cardiac cells in RGD-immobilized alginate scaffolds were further substantiated by Western blotting, revealing that the relative expression levels of α-actinin, N-cadherin and connexin-43 were better maintained in cells cultured within these scaffolds. Collectively, the immobilization of RGD peptide into macroporous alginate scaffolds proved to be a key parameter in cardiac tissue engineering, contributing to the formation of functional cardiac muscle tissue and to a better preservation of the regenerated tissue in culture.",
keywords = "Alginate scaffolds, Cardiac tissue engineering, Cardiomyocytes, Nonmyocyte, RGD peptide",
author = "Michal Shachar and Orna Tsur-Gang and Tal Dvir and Jonathan Leor and Smadar Cohen",
note = "Funding Information: The research was supported by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation . We thank Oren Levy for his excellent technical assistance with Western blotting. S.C. holds the Clair and Harold Oshry Professor Chair in Biotechnology. ",
year = "2011",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1016/j.actbio.2010.07.034",
language = "אנגלית",
volume = "7",
pages = "152--162",
journal = "Acta Biomaterialia",
issn = "1742-7061",
publisher = "Acta Materialia Inc",
number = "1",
}