Engineered 3D bioimplants using elastomeric scaffold, self-assembling peptide hydrogel, and adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells for cardiac regeneration

Contractile restoration of myocardial scars remains a challenge with important clinical implications. Here, a combination of porous elastomeric membrane, peptide hydrogel, and subcutaneous adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells (subATDPCs) was designed and evaluated as a bioimplant for cardiac regeneration in a mouse model of myocardial infarction. SubATDPCs were doubly transduced with lentiviral vectors to express bioluminescent-fluorescent reporters driven by constitutively active, cardiac tissue-specific promoters. Cells were seeded into an engineered bioimplant consisting of a scaffold (polycaprolactone methacryloyloxyethyl ester) filled with a peptide hydrogel (PuraMatrix™), and transplanted to cover injured myocardium. Bioluminescence and fluorescence quantifications showed de novo and progressive increases in promoter expression in bioactive implant-treated animals. The bioactive implant was well adapted to the heart, and fully functional vessels traversed the myocardium-bioactive implant interface. Treatment translated into a detectable positive effect on cardiac function, as revealed by echocardiography. Thus, this novel implant is a promising construct for supporting myocardial regeneration.