Pharmacological characterization of micropatterned cardiac myocytes.

The cardiac myocytes patterned on a single cell level were prepared by microcontact printing, and the response to chemical stimuli was studied using confocal fluorescent Ca(2+) imaging. The patterned myocytes were found to conjugate by forming gap junction. It was confirmed for the patterned myocytes that gap junction communication was reversibly inhibited by 1-octanol, but activated by caffeine. Localized stimulation with chemicals was also attempted using a microinjection system for the myocyte patterns formed by single cell alignment. This research was carried out with the objective of developing a bioassay system based on a cellular network.