Xeno-free bioengineered human skeletal muscle tissue using human platelet lysate-based hydrogels

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Bioengineered human skeletal muscle tissues are valuable in vitro models for disease research.
• Traditional methods often use xenogenic materials and animal serum, potentially impacting drug testing accuracy.
• Xeno-free approaches are crucial for developing more relevant human disease models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer functional, xeno-free human skeletal muscle tissues using novel hydrogel scaffolds.
• To assess the potential of these engineered muscles for drug development and disease modeling.

Main Methods:

• Utilized human platelet lysate (PL)-based nanocomposite hydrogels (HUgel) reinforced with aldehyde-cellulose nanocrystals (a-CNC).
• Encapsulated human muscle satellite stem cells within HUgel using specialized casting platforms.
• Modulated a-CNC content to optimize matrix properties and cell organization.
• Applied electrical stimulation to assess contractile function of the engineered muscle tissues.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated aligned, long myotubes expressing sarcomeric proteins within HUgel scaffolds.
• Demonstrated tunable mechanical and structural properties of the HUgel by varying a-CNC content.
• Achieved non-invasive measurement of contractile forces after electrical stimulation.
• Validated the formation of functional, bioengineered human skeletal muscle in a xeno-free system.

Conclusions:

• Developed a xeno-free platform for engineering functional human skeletal muscle tissues.
• The engineered muscles exhibit properties suitable for assessing tissue functionality.
• This system holds significant promise for advancing drug development and human disease modeling applications.