Distinct carbon sources affect structural and functional maturation of cardiomyocytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells

Cláudia Correia, Alexey Koshkin, Patrícia Duarte, Dongjian Hu, Ana Teixeira, Ibrahim Domian, Margarida Serra, Paula M. Alves

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

169 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The immature phenotype of human pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) constrains their potential in cell therapy and drug testing. In this study, we report that shifting hPSC-CMs from glucose-containing to galactose- and fatty acid-containing medium promotes their fast maturation into adult-like CMs with higher oxidative metabolism, transcriptional signatures closer to those of adult ventricular tissue, higher myofibril density and alignment, improved calcium handling, enhanced contractility, and more physiological action potential kinetics. Integrated "-Omics" analyses showed that addition of galactose to culture medium improves total oxidative capacity of the cells and ameliorates fatty acid oxidation avoiding the lipotoxicity that results from cell exposure to high fatty acid levels. This study provides an important link between substrate utilization and functional maturation of hPSC-CMs facilitating the application of this promising cell type in clinical and preclinical applications.

Original languageEnglish
Article number8590
JournalScientific Reports
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2017

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