Author: Merentsova Anastasia
Translator: Uspanova Ainura
Copy editor: Kigbaeva Kamila, Issabayeva Madina
Cardiac tissue is a special type of muscle tissue, with the help of which the distribution of excitation waves occurs, which, subsequently, causes a reduction in cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells). So, many common heart diseases (for example, arrhythmias) are associated with a violation of the conduction of excitation waves along muscle fibers.
A standard method for studying such pathologies is optical mapping: scientists visualize the spread of excitation through the heart tissue using fluorescent dyes, and changes in it are tracked using sensitive cameras, and then analyze the results.
But this method has its drawbacks. The problem is not only the high cost of the chambers and dyes used, but also the fact that cardiomyocytes do not live long under the influence of dyes, and the dye itself can interact with the studied drugs and “interfere” with the experiment.
Therefore, scientists have developed a newer and simpler method based on the cultivation of cardiac tissue on an elastic substrate of polydimethylsiloxane.
Ventricular cardiomyocytes of newborn rats were cultured on thin films of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and observed using off-axis illumination.
Konstantin Guria, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Biophysics of Excitable Systems of MIPT, says:
“We found that if you grow a heart tissue culture on an elastic substrate made of polydimethylsiloxane, the propagation of the excitation wave is visible through the microscope without any dye”.
A study conducted by scientists will help scientists not only finally understand how the heart functions and arrhythmias, but also to study the effect of various drugs on the heart. Using this method, it is anticipated that diagnostic testing will become more affordable, cheaper, and less invasive.
Source: https://naked-science.ru/article/
