Biomedical Commons^™

Cardioporation Enhances Myocardial Gene Expression In Rat Heart, Carly Boye, Sezgi Arpag, Nina Burcus, Cathryn Lundberg, Scott Declemente, Richard Heller, Michael Francis, Anna Bulysheva

Bioelectrics Publications

Damage from myocardial infarction (MI) and subsequent heart failure are serious public health concerns. Current clinical treatments and therapies to treat MI damage largely do not address the regeneration of cardiomyocytes. In a previous study, we established that it is possible to promote regeneration of cardiac muscle with vascular endothelial growth factor B gene delivery directly to the ischemic myocardium. In the current study we aim to optimize cardioporation parameters to increase expression efficiency by varying electrode configuration, applied voltage, pulse length, and plasmid vector size. By using a surface monopolar electrode, optimized pulsing conditions and reducing vector size, we …

The Hsp90 Inhibitor, Auy-922, Protects And Repairs Human Lung Microvascular Endothelial Cells From Hydrochloric Acid-Induced Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction, Ruben M.L. Colunga Biancatelli, Pavel Solopov, Betsy Gregory, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Exposure to hydrochloric acid (HCl) leads acutely to asthma-like symptoms, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), including compromised alveolo-capillary barrier, and respiratory failure. To better understand the direct effects of HCl on pulmonary endothelial function, we studied the characteristics of HCl-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction in primary cultures of human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC), defined the involved molecular pathways, and tested the potentially beneficial effects of Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors. HCl impaired barrier function in a time- and concentration-dependent manner and was associated with activation of Protein Kinase B (AKT), Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) and myosin light …

Ablation Of Myocardial Tissue With Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields, Fei Xie, Frency Varghese, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Iurii Semenov, Shu Xiao, Jonathan Philpott, Christian Zemlin

Bioelectrics Publications

Background

Ablation of cardiac tissue is an essential tool for the treatment of arrhythmias, particularly of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and ventricular tachycardia. Current ablation technologies suffer from substantial recurrence rates, thermal side effects, and long procedure times. We demonstrate that ablation with nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) can potentially overcome these limitations.

Methods

We used optical mapping to monitor electrical activity in Langendorff-perfused New Zealand rabbit hearts (n = 12). We repeatedly inserted two shock electrodes, spaced 2–4 mm apart, into the ventricles (through the entire wall) and applied nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) (5–20 kV/cm, 350 ns duration, …