Vascularized three‐dimensional skeletal muscle tissue‐engineering

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Saxena, Amulya K.^; | Willital, Günter H. | Vacanti, Joseph P.

Affiliations: Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, MA 02511, USA | Pediatric Surgical University Clinic, Münster, Germany

Note: [] Corresponding author: Amulya K. Saxena, MD, Klinik für Kinder‐ und Neugeborenenchirurgie, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität, Münster, D‐48149 Germany. Tel.: +49 251 8347711; Fax: +49 180 505255 253866; E‐mail: [email protected].

Abstract: Medical science continues to battle against the loss or failure of organs or tissues. Since, skeletal muscle loss lead not only to the functional compromise of the affected site, but also a structural deformation; tissue engineering of skeletal muscle attempts to provide solutions to replace loss of tissue contour and function. In our study, myoblasts seeded onto polyglycolic acid (PGA) meshes were used to engineer skeletal muscle tissue in vivo. The cell–polymer constructs harvested after a period of 6‐weeks were well vascularized three‐dimensional structures with the ability to generate neo‐muscle‐like tissue. This is the first time that the ability of myoblasts to survive in vivo in the absence of mature skeletal muscle tissue was demonstrated. The successful ability to transplant myoblasts using biodegradable polymer strands without using the traditional transplantation buffer mediums as carriers was also employed for the first time.

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 275-281, 2001