Engineering skeletal muscle tissue--new perspectives in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

Muscle tissue engineering (TE) has not yet been clinically applied because of several problems. However, the field of skeletal muscle TE has been developing tremendously and new approaches and techniques have emerged. This review will highlight recent developments in the field of nanotechnology, especially electrospun nanofibre matrices, as well as potential cell sources for muscle TE. Important developments in cardiac muscle TE and clinical studies on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) will be included to show their implications on skeletal muscle TE.

Fig 1

Matrices for skeletal muscle TE can be divided into aligned and random matrices. Electrospinning enables the generation of aligned and random as well as 2D and 3D matrix architecture.

Fig 2

Scanning electron microscopy: Myoblast growing on randomly electrospun 3D PCL-collagen matrix; 5000× magnification.

Fig 3

Phase contrast microscopy: Myoblasts cultured on aligned PCL-collagen nanofibres; after 2 days in culture they align themselves along the nanofibres; 320× magnification.

Fig 4

Immunofluorescence staining: Myoblasts on aligned electrospun PCL-collagen nanofibres. Green: desmin; blue: DAPI counterstaining.

Fig 5

Immunofluorescence staining of myoblasts isolated from skeletal muscle of the rat in vitro. Green: desmin (muscle specific cytoskeleton), blue: nuclei, DAPI counterstain, 400× magnification.