Implantation of autologous cells in minced and devitalized rat skeletal muscles

Triceps surae of 3 week-old female Wistar rats were minced and orthotopically autografted. Thirty days later, the regenerates developed a force of 314 +/- 58 mN during an isometric maximal tetanus and the maximal area of the muscle tissue was 3.2 +/- 0.5 mm2 (n = 9) in a cross-section. At 60 days, their mean maximal isometric force was increased (1159 +/- 367 mN) as also were their maximal muscle cross-section area (6.8 +/- 0.7 mm2;n = 6). If the minces were devitalized by a freeze and thaw procedure, the regenerates neither contracted under electrical stimulation nor contained any muscle fibre. If devitalized minces were seeded with myogenic cells isolated from the contralateral triceps surae, orthotopically autografted and allowed to regenerate for 30 days, the regeneration was weak: 46 +/- 14 mN of force, 1.2 +/- 0.3 mm2 of muscle area in minces devitalized by cold (n = 7) and 23 +/- 8 mN of force, 0.2 +/- 0.1 mm2 of muscle area in minces devitalized by cold supplemented by heat (n = 8). If viable minces were seeded with myogenic cells, there was no improvement in the extent of regeneration: 275 +/- 83 mN of force, 2.0 +/- 0.6 mm2 of muscle area at 30 days (n = 7) and 738 +/- 191 mN of force, 5.6 +/- 0.9 mm2 of muscle area at 60 days (n = 5). Consequently, although it is possible to induce regeneration by grafting myogenic cells into a devitalized mince, this procedure has no effect when applied to a viable mince.