Decellularized Extracellular Matrix/Gellan Gum Hydrogels Enriched with Spermine for Cardiac Models

TL;DR

Researchers created a new hydrogel material that mimics the structure and function of heart tissue for better in vitro cardiac models.

Contribution

A novel hybrid hydrogel combining decellularized bovine pericardium ECM, gellan gum, and spermine is developed for cardiac tissue engineering.

Findings

The hydrogels exhibit mechanical properties similar to native myocardium and long-term stability under physiological conditions.

Hydrogel formulations showed an ECM-like porous structure and preserved cell viability and morphology in H9C2 cardiomyoblasts.

SPM content concentration influenced the storage modulus, indicating tunable mechanical properties.

Abstract

The physiological relevance of in vitro models is limited because conventional two-dimensional cell culture systems are unable to replicate the structural and functional complexity of native tissues. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimetic hydrogels have become important platforms for tissue engineering applications. This work developed hybrid hydrogels that mimic important biochemical and mechanical characteristics of cardiac tissue by combining decellularized bovine pericardium-derived (dBP) ECM, gellan gum (GG), and spermine (SPM). Although dBP offers tissue-specific biological cues, processing compromises its mechanical integrity. This limitation was overcome by adding GG, whose ionic gelation properties were optimized using DMEM and SPM. The hydrogels’ mechanical, biological, physicochemical, and structural characteristics were all evaluated. Under physiologically simulated conditions, the formulations showed quick gelation and long-term stability; scanning electron microscopy revealed an interconnected, ECM-like porous microarchitecture. While uniaxial compression testing provided Young’s modulus values comparable to native myocardium, rheological analysis revealed a concentration-dependent increase in storage modulus with increasing SPM content. H9C2 cardiomyoblasts were used in cytocompatibility studies to confirm that cell viability, morphology, and cytoskeletal organization were all preserved. All of these findings support the potential application of dBP−GG−SPM hydrogels in advanced in vitro cardiac models by showing that they successfully replicate important characteristics of cardiac ECM.

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