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Improving myoblast differentiation on electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds
Phammela N Abarzúa-Illanes1, Cristina Padilla1, Andrea Ramos2
1Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A
|April 21, 2017
Summary
This study explored polymer scaffolds for muscle regeneration. Aligned poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) enhanced cell growth, while decorin improved differentiation quality.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Polymer scaffolds are crucial for tissue regeneration when natural healing is insufficient.
- Cellular responses to scaffolds depend on material properties like composition, fiber alignment, and molecular additives.
- Understanding these factors is key to developing effective regenerative therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cellular response of murine skeletal muscle myoblasts on electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds.
- To evaluate the impact of fiber alignment (aligned vs. unaligned) and material composition (PCL, PCL/PLGA blends, PCL with decorin) on myoblast growth and differentiation.
- To compare the effects of scaffold topology versus molecular cues (decorin) on myogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Electrospinning of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers, including blends with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and addition of decorin.
- Culturing murine skeletal muscle myoblasts on aligned and unaligned PCL-based scaffolds.
- Quantifying myoblast proliferation and differentiation using cell coverage metrics and assessing myotube formation (fusion, length, thickness).
Main Results:
- Aligned PCL fibers with higher PLGA content significantly promoted myoblast growth and differentiation quality.
- PLGA scaffolds achieved over 68% coverage for myoblasts and 7% for myotubes.
- Decorin addition substantially improved differentiation, increasing cell fusion, myotube length, and thickness by 71%, 10%, and 51%, respectively.
- Decorin's influence on differentiation surpassed the topological effect of fiber alignment at certain concentrations.
Conclusions:
- Aligned PCL/PLGA scaffolds enhance skeletal muscle myoblast proliferation and differentiation.
- Decorin is a potent factor in improving the quantity and quality of myogenesis on polymer scaffolds.
- Molecular modifications, like decorin addition, can be more influential than scaffold topography in directing cell behavior for tissue regeneration.