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Updated: Feb 21, 2026

In Vitro Differentiation of Mature Myofibers for Live Imaging
Published on: January 7, 2017
Gelatin-Polyaniline Composite Nanofibers Enhanced Excitation-Contraction Coupling System Maturation in Myotubes
Serge Ostrovidov1,2, Majid Ebrahimi1, Hojae Bae3
1WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University , Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
Abstract:
In this study, composite gelatin-polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers doped with camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) were fabricated by electrospinning and used as substrates to culture C2C12 myoblast cells. We observed enhanced myotube formation on composite gelatin-PANI nanofibers compared to gelatin nanofibers, concomitantly with enhanced myotube maturation. Thus, in myotubes, intracellular organization, colocalization of the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) and ryanodine receptor (RyR), expression of genes correlated to the excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling apparatus, calcium transients, and myotube contractibility were increased. Such composite material scaffolds combining topographical and electrically conductive cues may be useful to direct skeletal muscle cell organization and to improve cellular maturation, functionality, and tissue formation.
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