Blinded contractility analysis in hiPSC-cardiomyocytes in engineered heart tissue format: Comparison with human atrial trabeculae

Objective: Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) may serve as a new assay for drug testing in a human context, but their validity particularly for the evaluation of inotropic drug effects remains unclear. In this blinded analysis, we compared the effects of 10 indicator compounds with known inotropic effects in electrically stimulated (1.5 Hz) hiPSC-CM-derived 3 dimensional engineered heart tissue (EHT) and human atrial trabeculae (hAT).

Methods and results: Human EHTs were prepared from iCell® hiPSC-CM, hAT obtained at routine heart surgery. Mean intra-batch variation coefficient in baseline force measurement was 17% for EHT and 49% for hAT. The PDE-inhibitor milrinone did not affect EHT contraction force, but increased force in hAT. Citalopram (SSRI), nifedipine (LTCC-blocker) and lidocaine (Na + channel-blocker) had negative inotropic effects on EHT and hAT. Formoterol (beta-2 agonist) had positive lusitropic but no inotropic effect in EHT, and positive clinotropic, lusitropic and inotropic effects in hAT. Tacrolimus (calcineurin-inhibitor) had a negative inotropic effect in EHTs, but no effect in hAT. Digoxin (Na + -K + -ATPase-inhibitor) showed a positive inotropic effect only in EHTs, but no effect in hAT probably due to short incubation time. Ryanodine (ryanodine receptor-inhibitor) reduced contraction force in both models. Rolipram and acetylsalicylic acid showed non-interpretable results in hAT.

Conclusions: Contraction amplitude and kinetics were more stable over time and less variable in hiPSC-EHTs than hAT. HiPSC-EHT faithfully detected cAMP-dependent and independent positive and negative inotropic effects, but limited beta-2 adrenergic or PDE3 effects, compatible with an immature CM phenotype.