Development of tissue-engineered myocardial patches using genipin-crosslinked submucosa of small intestine and stem cells

Abstract Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of neonatal death worldwide. Tissue-engineered myocardial patches have emerged as a breakthrough solution with the potential to rebuild damaged myocardial tissue while providing essential paracrine signals for endogenous repair. In this study, a genipin-crosslinked small intestinal submucosa (GP-SIS) scaffold was prepared, which exhibits excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Furthermore, two types of tissue-engineered myocardial patches based on GP-SIS scaffold combined with induced differentiation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (D-UC-MSCs) and urine-derived stem cells (D-USCs) was developed to address different clinical needs in the treatment of CHD. Both types of patches have good in vivo angiogenesis ability, among which GP-SIS/D-UC-MSCs are suitable for acute myocardial repair, while GP-SIS/D-USCs are more suitable for chronic treatment due to their non-invasive acquisition and personalized advantages. This dual strategy provides a new idea for the precise treatment of CHD.