Fig. 2
Force development of cardiac slices before and during biomimetic culture. a Maximum twitch force and diastolic contracture of cardiac slices prepared after various durations of hypothermic tissue storage. Measurements were taken under isometric conditions in an organ bath. Data of immediately processed tissue ((1), n = 8) have been assessed in hypertrophic myocardium in a previous study7. Tonic contracture increased in slices prepared after prolonged storage (40-55 h, n = 12) in comparison to standard transport (18–32 h, n = 15, *P<0.05, t test). Tissue did not tolerate 72 h of cooling (n = 2). Data are displayed as mean ± SEM. b High resolution recording of twitch force in BMCC. c Continuous contractility recording over 4 months. Periodic breakdowns of contraction force corresponded to medium exchange intervals (36–48 h). Positive spikes of contractility were produced by stimulation protocols employed for the assessment of refractory periods. d Time course of twitch amplitude and preload during the initial 5 weeks of cultivation (mean ± SEM of 13 samples taken from nine specimen). e Long-term effect on contractility of β1-receptor stimulation initiated on the 2nd day of culture (denopamine, 1 µM, representative example of five independent experiments). f Contractility during omission of electrical stimulation or medium agitation for 30 h and 15 min, respectively (representative examples). Source data of 2a and 2d are provided as Source Data file
