Proliferation of myocytes on different ECM-components of animal/human origin in vitro

For the purpose of tissue regeneration gels of reconstituted basement membrane have been suggested as a vehicle to transfer autologous cells. Results do look promising, but it should be considered that extracellular matrix (ECM) gel (Matrigel) is a soluble extract of Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse tumor. Therefore objections arising concerning possible risks complicate clinical use in human subjects. Aim of this study was to determine whether ECM-components of human origin can be used as substitutes for tissue engineering tasks as proposed previously. Proliferation capability and viability of primary rat myocytes and rat myocyte cell lines were determined on days 1, 2, 4 and 8 after inocculation of the cells. Pooled data suggest that an appropriate combination of human ECM and human Collagen Type IV may represent an approach with good prospects.