Characterization and Potential Applications of Photo-Curable Electroconductive Hydrogel for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Myocardial infarction is one of the most severe forms of CVD, and current treatments cannot fully restore the heart functions. Recent studies have shown that electrically conductive substrates can resynchronize heart contractions after myocardial infarction and enhance the maturation of cardiomyocytes in vitro. In this work, developed photo-curable electroconductive hydrogel, were optimized and investigated for their suitability in 2D and 3D cardiac cell cultures and as a release platform for the delivery of therapeutic agents.