Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026
10:48
Generation of Human Motor Units with Functional Neuromuscular Junctions in Microfluidic Devices
Published on: September 7, 2021
5.5K
Cell-Instructive Graphene-Containing Nanocomposites Induce Multinucleated Myotube Formation
Akhil Patel1, Yingfei Xue1, Shilpaa Mukundan1
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
Annals of Biomedical Engineering
|March 18, 2016
Summary
Engineered graphene-polycaprolactone scaffolds guide myoblast differentiation into muscle tissue without growth factors. These conductive biomaterials show promise for skeletal muscle regeneration strategies.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Myoblast differentiation is crucial for muscle formation but is difficult to control precisely using biochemical cues in tissue engineering.
- Substrate micro/nano-structure and electro-responsive properties are emerging as key factors influencing myoblast differentiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a single biomaterial scaffold with both nano/micro-fibrous structure and conductive properties to instruct myoblast differentiation.
- To investigate if these engineered scaffolds can induce myotube formation without requiring differentiation media.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of nanocomposite scaffolds using conductive graphene nanosheets and biocompatible polycaprolactone (PCL).
- Characterization of scaffold properties, including conductivity, processability, biodegradability, and mechanical properties, tuned by graphene concentration.
- Assessment of cytocompatibility, cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of C2C12 mouse myoblast cells on the scaffolds.
Main Results:
- Graphene-PCL scaffolds exhibited excellent conductivity and tunable physicochemical/mechanical properties.
- The nanocomposites and their degradation products supported C2C12 cell adhesion and proliferation.
- Scaffolds induced graphene concentration-dependent differentiation of C2C12 cells into multinucleated myotubes in normal growth media.
Conclusions:
- Graphene-PCL nanocomposite scaffolds possess cell-instructive potential for myoblast differentiation.
- These scaffolds offer a promising strategy for skeletal muscle regeneration by leveraging biophysical cues over biochemical ones.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Formation of Muscle Fibers from Myoblasts
6.7K
De novo myogenesis, or the formation of muscle fibers, begins during the early embryonic stages. The skeletal muscle is formed from somites– blocks of embryonic cell layers. The somites are further divided into dermatomes, myotomes, sclerotomes, and syndetomes. Among these, the myotomes give rise to muscle fibers.
Muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) are formed from the myotomes. MPCs express genes that encode the transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7. Along with Pax 3/7, other transcription...
Muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) are formed from the myotomes. MPCs express genes that encode the transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7. Along with Pax 3/7, other transcription...
6.7K
01:13Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles
26.9K
Skeletal muscle cells, also called muscle fibers, are distinctly elongated, multi-nucleated, slender biological units. They are packed with specialized structures designed to facilitate their primary function, which is contraction.
The muscle sarcolemma is a plasma membrane enclosing each muscle cell that conducts electrical signals called action potentials. The sarcolemma extends into the cell to form T-tubules, ensuring the neural impulses are uniformly distributed across the entire muscle...
The muscle sarcolemma is a plasma membrane enclosing each muscle cell that conducts electrical signals called action potentials. The sarcolemma extends into the cell to form T-tubules, ensuring the neural impulses are uniformly distributed across the entire muscle...
26.9K