Pigmented Silk Nanofibrous Composite for Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Skeletal muscle tissue engineering (SMTE) uses biomaterials to guide muscle cell growth.
• Oxidative stress impacts biomaterial biocompatibility and muscle cell development.
• Synthetic conducting polymers for SMTE face limitations like poor biocompatibility and immunogenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop intrinsically electroactive and antioxidant silk fibroin/melanin composite scaffolds for SMTE.
• To evaluate these scaffolds' potential to overcome limitations of synthetic conducting polymers.
• To investigate the role of scaffold properties in promoting myogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of silk fibroin/melanin composite films and electrospun fiber mats.
• Characterization of scaffold thermal stability, electrical conductivity, and fiber alignment.
• In vitro evaluation of scaffold-supported myoblast differentiation and myotube formation.

Main Results:

• Melanin incorporation enhanced thermal stability and electrical conductivity.
• Composite scaffolds exhibited antioxidant properties, mitigating oxidative stress.
• Electrospun scaffolds promoted aligned myoblast differentiation into functional myotubes.

Conclusions:

• Silk fibroin/melanin composites offer a promising biocompatible and antioxidant alternative for SMTE.
• Scaffold topography and electrical conductivity are crucial for effective myogenesis.
• These electroactive silk nanofibrous composites represent a viable platform for skeletal muscle regeneration.