Impact of neurons on patient derived-cardiomyocytes using organ-on-a-chip and iPSC biotechnologies

Albin A Bernardin (1, 2) , Sarah Colombani (1) , Antoine Rousselot (3, 2) , Virginie Andry (4) , Yannick Goumon (4) , Côme Pasqualin (5) , Bernard Brugg (6) , Etienne Jacotot (6, 7) , Jean Luc Pasquié (1, 8) , Alain Lacampagne (1) , Albano C Meli (1)

1 PhyMedExp - Physiologie & médecine expérimentale du Cœur et des Muscles [U 1046]
2 MicroBrain Biotech
3 LIONS - Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire sur l'Organisation Nanométrique et Supramoléculaire
4 SM-INCI / CNRS UPR3212 - Plateau technique de Spectrométrie de Masse
5 T2i - EA4245 - Transplantation, Immunologie, Inflammation [Tours]
6 B2A - Adaptation Biologique et Vieillissement = Biological Adaptation and Ageing
7 Columbia University [New York]
8 University Hospital of Montpellier

Abstract In the heart, cardiac function is regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that extends through the myocardium and establish junctions at the sinus node and ventricular levels. Thus, an increase or decrease of neuronal activity acutely affects myocardial function and chronically affects its structure through remodeling processes. The neuro-cardiac junction (NCJ), which is the major structure of this system, is poorly understood and only few cell models allow us to study it. Here we present an innovant neuro-cardiac organ-on-chip model to study this structure to better understand the mechanisms involved in the establishment of NCJ. To create such a system, we used microfluidic devices composed of two separate cells compartment interconnected by asymmetric microchannels. Rat PC12 cells, were differentiated to recapitulate the characteristics of sympathetic neurons, and cultivated with cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC). We confirmed the presence of specialized structure between the two cell types that allow neuromodulation and observed that the neuronal stimulation impacts the excitation-contraction coupling properties including the intracellular calcium handling. Finally, we also co-cultivated human neurons (hiPSC-NRs) with human cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) both obtained from the same hiPSC line. Hence, we have developed a neuro-cardiac compartmentalized in vitro model system that allows to recapitulate structural and functional properties of neuro-cardiac junction and that can be used to better understand interaction between heart and brain in humans, as well as to evaluate the impact of drugs on a reconstructed human neuro-cardiac system.

Keywords: organ-on-a-chip; microfluidic system; iPSC; cardiomyocytes; neurons

Domains: Chemical Sciences; Material chemistry

Albin A Bernardin, Sarah Colombani, Antoine Rousselot, Virginie Andry, Yannick Goumon, et al.. Impact of neurons on patient derived-cardiomyocytes using organ-on-a-chip and iPSC biotechnologies. 2022. ⟨cea-03830457⟩