A newly published article assessing human induced pluripotent stem cell derived-cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) contractility kinetics caught our interest this month. The data shows that flexible substrates are necessary for normal twitch-like contractility kinetics and interpretation of inotropic interventions.
Huethorst et al. analyzed spatiotemporal contractility of hiPSC-CM monolayers seeded on conventional, rigid surfaces (glass or plastic) and revealed the presence of multiphasic contraction patterns. These multiphasic patterns are not present in single cells, in detached monolayers or in monolayers seeded on soft substrates such as a hydrogel, where only ‘twitch’-like transients are observed. HiPSC-CM monolayers that display a high percentage of regions with multiphasic contraction have significantly increased contractile duration and a decreased lusotropic drug response.
Find the article here
