Abstract: Mechanical training can promote the connectivity and alignment of cardiac myocytes, and is indispensable means for engineering functional myocardial tissue in vitro. As there only exists simple mechanical training method, a two-dimensional mechanical training device is designed and fabricated by mimicking the strain of native myocardium. A tissue engineered cardiac patch is fabricated by using casting method and subjected two-dimensional cyclical stretch training with the training device. The deformation and stress statement of cardiac patch during the training process are simulated by using finite element method. Histology and cell morphology results are analyzed and compared with simulation results. Compared with the experimental and theoretical results, the promoter action of cell connectivity and alignment by two-dimensional mechanical training is approved, and mechanical factors that effect the cell growth are studied. The results demonstrate that cell connectivity and cell alignment in the cardiac patch can be improved by two-dimensional cyclical mechanical training in vitro. The direction and value of tensile stress directly impact the cell alignment in the cardiac patch. When external force reaches a certain value, cardiac myocytes orientation alignment is significantly improved and cells align with the stress direction.

Key words: Cardiac muscle, Mechanical training, Orientation alignment, Tissue engineering