Human Atrial Cardiac Microtissues for Chamber-Specific Arrhythmic Risk Assessment

Introduction Although atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent disorder of electrical conduction, the mechanisms behind atrial arrhythmias remain elusive. To address this challenge, we developed a robust in vitro model of 3D atrial microtissue from human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes and evaluated chamber-specific chemical responses experimentally and computationally. Methods We differentiated atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes (aCMs/vCMs) from GCaMP6f-expressing hiPSCs and assessed spontaneous AP activity using fluorescence imaging. Self-assembling 3D microtissues were formed with lactate purified CMs and 5% human cardiac fibroblasts and electrically stimulated for one week before high resolution action potential (AP) optical mapping. AP responses to the atrial-specific potassium repolarizing current I-Kur-blocker 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) and funny current I-f-blocker Ivabradine were characterized within their therapeutic window. Finally, we expanded upon a published hiPSC-CM computational model by incorporating the atrial-specific I-Kur current, modifying ion channel conductances to match the AP waveforms of our microtissues, and employing the updated model to reinforce our experimental findings. Results High purity CMs (> 75% cTnT(+)) demonstrated subtype specification by MLC2v expression. Spontaneous beating rates significantly decreased following 3D microtissue formation, with atrial microtissues characterized by their faster spontaneous beating rate, slower AP rise time, and shorter AP duration (APD) compared to ventricular microtissues. We measured atrial-specific responses, including dose-dependent APD prolongation with 4-AP treatment and dose-dependent reduction in spontaneous activity post-Ivabradine treatment. Conclusion The presented in vitro platform for screening atrial-specific responses is both robust and sensitive, with high throughput, enabling studies focused at elucidating the mechanisms underlying atrial arrhythmias.

Automated summary

An in vitro model of 3D atrial microtissue was developed using hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to study chamber-specific chemical responses experimentally. The results showed that atrial microtissues have faster spontaneous beating rates, slower AP rise time, and shorter AP duration compared to ventricular microtissues, and exhibit different responses to specific drugs like 4-AP and Ivabradine.