Shear stress activates the Piezo1 channel to facilitate valvular endothelium-oriented differentiation and maturation of human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Valvular endothelial cells (VECs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provide an unlimited cell source for tissue engineering heart valves (TEHVs); however, they are limited by their low differentiation efficiency and immature function. In our study, we applied unidirectional shear stress to promote hiPSCs differentiation into valvular endothelial-like cells (VELs). Compared to the static group, shear stress efficiently promoted the differentiation and functional maturation of hiPSC-VELs, as demonstrated by the efficiency of endothelial differentiation reaching 98.3% in the high shear stress group (45 dyn/cm2). Furthermore, we found that Piezo1 served as a crucial mechanosensor for the differentiation and maturation of VELs. Mechanistically, the activation of Piezo1 by shear stress resulted in the influx of calcium ions, which in turn initiated the Akt signaling pathway and promoted the differentiation of hiPSCs into mature VELs. Moreover, VELs cultured on decellularized heart valves (DHVs) exhibited a notable propensity for proliferation, robust adhesion properties, and antithrombotic characteristics, which were dependent on the activation of the Piezo1 channel. Overall, our study demonstrated that proper shear stress activated the Piezo1 channel to facilitate the differentiation and maturation of hiPSC-VELs via the Akt pathway, providing a potential cell source for regenerative medicine, drug screening, pathogenesis, and disease modeling. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first research that systematically analyzes the effect of shear stress on valvular endothelial-like cells (VELs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Mechanistically, unidirectional shear stress activates Piezo1, resulting in an elevation of calcium levels, which triggers the Akt signaling pathway and then facilitates the differentiation of functional maturation VELs. After exposure to shear stress, the VELs exhibited enhanced proliferation, robust adhesion capabilities, and antithrombotic characteristics while being cultured on decellularized heart valves. Thus, it is of interest to develop hiPSCs-VELs using shear stress and the Piezo1 channel provides insights into the functional maturation of valvular endothelial cells, thereby serving as a catalyst for potential applications in the development of therapeutic and tissue-engineered heart valves in the future.

Design of a Zn-based nanozyme injectable multifunctional hydrogel with ROS scavenging activity for myocardial infarction therapy.

The existing strategies for myocardial infarction therapy mainly focus on reinstating myocardial blood supply, often disregarding the intrinsic and intricate microenvironment created by elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that accompanies myocardial infarction. This microenvironment entails cardiomyocytes apoptosis, substantial vascular cell death, excessive inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis. In such situation, the present study introduces a zinc-based nanozyme injectable multifunctional hydrogel, crafted from ZIF-8, to counteract ROS effects after myocardial infarction. The hydrogel exhibits both superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like and catalase (CAT)-like enzymatic activities, proficiently eliminating surplus ROS in the infarcted region and interrupting ROS-driven inflammatory cascades. Furthermore, the hydrogel's exceptional immunomodulatory ability spurs a notable transformation of macrophages into the M2 phenotype, effectively neutralizing inflammatory factors and indirectly fostering vascularization in the infarcted region. For high ROS and demanding for zinc of the infarcted microenvironment, the gradual release of zinc ions as the hydrogel degrades further enhances the bioactive and catalytic performance of the nanozymes, synergistically promoting cardiac function post myocardial infarction. In conclusion, this system of deploying catalytic nanomaterials within bioactive matrices for ROS-related ailment therapy not only establishes a robust foundation for biomedical material development, but also promises a holistic approach towards addressing myocardial infarction complexities. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Myocardial infarction remains the leading cause of death worldwide. However, the existing strategies for myocardial infarction therapy mainly focus on reinstating myocardial blood supply. These therapies often ignore the intrinsic and intricate microenvironment created by elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hence, we designed an injectable Zn-Based nanozyme hydrogel with ROS scavenging activity for myocardial infarction therapy. ALG-(ZIF-8) can significantly reduce ROS in the infarcted area and alleviate the ensuing pathological process. ALG-(ZIF-8) gradually releases zinc ions to participate in the repair process and improves cardiac function. Overall, this multifunctional hydrogel equipped with ZIF-8 makes full use of the characteristics of clearing ROS and slowly releasing zinc ions, and we are the first to test the therapeutic efficacy of Zinc-MOFs crosslinked-alginate hydrogel for myocardial infarction.

An Intrinsically Magnetic Epicardial Patch for Rapid Vascular Reconstruction and Drug Delivery.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. The major limitation of regenerative therapy for MI is poor cardiac retention of therapeutics, which results from an inefficient vascular network and poor targeting ability. In this study, a two-layer intrinsically magnetic epicardial patch (MagPatch) prepared by 3D printing with biocompatible materials like poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS) is designed, poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL), and NdFeB. The two-layer structure ensured that the MagPatch multifariously utilized the magnetic force for rapid vascular reconstruction and targeted drug delivery. MagPatch accumulates superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPION)-labelled endothelial cells, instantly forming a ready-implanted organization, and rapidly reconstructs a vascular network anastomosed with the host. In addition, the prefabricated vascular network within the MagPatch allowed for the efficient accumulation of SPION-labelled therapeutics, amplifying the therapeutic effects of cardiac repair. This study defined an extendable therapeutic platform for vascularization-based targeted drug delivery that is expected to assist in the progress of regenerative therapies in clinical applications.

Localized delivery of anti-inflammatory agents using extracellular matrix-nanostructured lipid carriers hydrogel promotes cardiac repair post-myocardial infarction.

A challenge in treating cardiac injury is the low heart-specificity of the drugs. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are a relatively new format of lipid nanoparticles which have been used to deliver RNA and drugs. However, lipid nanoparticles exhibit higher affinity to the liver than the heart. To improve the delivery efficiency of NLCs into the heart, NLCs can be embedded into a scaffold and be locally released. In this study, a cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel-NLC composite was developed as a platform for cardiac repair. ECM-NLC composite gels at physiological conditions and releases payloads into the heart over weeks. ECM-NLC hydrogel carrying colchicine, an anti-inflammation agent, improved cardiac repair after myocardial infarction in mice. Transcriptome analysis indicated that Egfr downstream effectors participated in ECM-NLC-colchicine induced heart repair. In conclusion, ECM-NLC hydrogel is a potential platform for sustained and localized delivery of biomolecules into the heart, and loading appropriate medicines further increases the therapeutic efficacy of ECM-NLC hydrogel for cardiovascular diseases.

Substrate stiffness regulates differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into heart valve endothelial cells.

Substrate stiffness has been indicated as a primary determinant for stem cell fate, being capable of influencing motility, proliferation, and differentiation. Although the effects of stiffness on cardiac differentiation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (h-iPSCs) have been reported, whether stiffness of polydimethylsiloxane-based substrates could enhance differentiation of h-iPSCs toward heart valve endothelial cells lineage (VECs) or not remains unknown. Herein, we modulated the substrate stiffness to evaluate its effect on the differentiation of h-iPSCs into valve endothelial-like cells (h-iVECs) in vitro and determine the suitable stiffness. The results revealed that VECs-related genes (PECAM1, CDH5, NFATC1, etc.) were significantly increased in h-iVECs obtained from the three substrates compared with h-iPSCs. Gene expression levels and differentiation efficiency were higher in the medium group than in the stiff and soft groups. An increase in substrate stiffness to 2.8 GPa decreased the efficiency of h-iPSCs differentiation into h-iVECs and downregulated VECs specific genes. Through mRNA sequencing, we determined the key genetic markers involved in stiffness guiding the differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells into h-iVECs. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering showed that medium stiffness were more suitable for the differentiation of h-iPSCs into h-iVECs in vitro. Moreover, this process is regulated by the WNT/Calcineurin signaling pathway. Overall, this study demonstrates how stiffness can be used to enhance the h-iVECs differentiation of iPSCs and emphasizes the importance of using substrate stiffness to accomplish a more specific and mature differentiation of h-iVECs for future therapeutic and tissue engineering valve applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Several studies have examined the stiffness-induced cell fate from pluripotent stem cells during the stage of mesoderm cell differentiation. This is the first research that rigorously examines the effect of substrate stiffness on human valve endothelial-like cells differentiation from cardiac progenitor cells. We found that the medium stiffness can increase the differentiation efficiency of h-iVECs from 40% to about 60%, and this process was regulated by the WNT/CaN signaling pathway through the activation of WNT5a. Substrate stiffness not only increases the differentiation efficiency of h-iVECs, but also improves its cellular functions such as low-density lipoprotein uptake and NO release. This study emphasizes the importance of using substrate stiffness to accomplish a more specific and mature differentiation of h-iVECs.