Abstract:

BACKGROUND: “Engineered cardiac tissue” is the application of tissue engineering method, and construct myocardium with natural characteristics; it can be transplanted into the body, and eventually repair or completely replace the damaged tissues. But the engineered cardiac tissue prepared in previous studies exist more defects, and can not meet the actual need.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize research progresses of the method of reconstructing engineered cardiac tissue in vitro.
METHODS: CNKI and Medline databases (2000/2010) were searched by first author with the key words of “myocardial construction materials, tissue engineering, myocardial” in Chinese and English, respectively. Four aspects of the seed cells, scaffold materials, culture environment and biological reaction system, engineering cardiac tissue revascularization and experimental transplantation were summarized. Aspects of different seed cells, biological scaffold materials, the in vitro culture environment and transplantation of revascularization engineering tissues were described. Totally 150 papers were searched, and 30 papers were included according to inclusive and exclusive criteria.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The keys of the reconstruction of engineered cardiac tissue are new-type bioactive scaffolds suitable to myocardial cell survival and myocardial cell formation, ideal seed cells, in vitro culture environment and biological reaction system, engineered tissue revascularization and animal transplantation experiments. The engineered cardiac tissue reconstructed should have good systolic function, stable electric physiological characteristics, mechanical strength and toughness as well as no immunogenicity, besides, it can be vascularized by itself or quickly vascularized after transplantation.