We have prepared and tested in vivo a novel nanoengineered hybrid electroconductive cardiac patch for treating the infarcted myocardium. Of the prepared and tested patches, only those containing spherical nanogold were able to increase connexin-43 expression in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes cultured under electrical stimulation. In vivo data indicated that only nano-gold-containing patches were able to recover cardiac function. Histological analysis also revealed that connexin-43 levels and blood vessel density were increased, while the scar size was reduced for animals that received the nanogold patch. Thus, our study indicates that the incorporation of electroconductive properties into a collagen-based cardiac patch can improve its therapeutic potential for treating myocardial infarction.
Keywords: cardiac tissue repair; collagen fibers; electroconductive materials; extracellular matrix; myocardial infarction; nanomaterials; regenerative medicine.