Electroconductive Soft Microcarriers for Suspension Culture of Skeletal Muscle Cells

The advancement of conductive biomaterials is essential for engineering electrically responsive tissues, such as skeletal muscle, cardiac, and neural tissues. Traditional hydrogel-based microcarriers (MCs) lack inherent conductivity, limiting their potential for cell signaling and differentiation. In this study, we present a soft conductive MC system composed of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), fabricated using microfluidic flow-focusing technology. Material characterization confirms that increasing PEDOT:PSS content significantly improves electrical conductivity and elasticity while maintaining structural integrity. In vitro biocompatibility studies reveal strong C2C12 myoblast attachment and viability, with no significant cytotoxic effects. Furthermore, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analyses indicate that PEDOT:PSS-containing MCs enhance myogenic early differentiation, as evidenced by increased myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression, nuclear elongation, and MyHC IF staining. These findings establish GelMA-PEDOT:PSS MCs as a promising bioelectronic platform for tissue engineering applications, with potential implications for skeletal muscle regeneration. Future studies should explore dynamic electrical stimulation strategies to further optimize bio-functionality and cell-specific responses.