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A Method for Fabricating Long Decellularized Scaffolds from Skeletal Muscle.
Maira Z Cordelle1, Giulia Biasi1, Sarah J B Snelling1
1Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Tissue Engineering. Part C, Methods
|July 2, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a new method for skeletal muscle tissue engineering (SMTE) using aligned muscle bundles. This technique creates long, continuous scaffolds that preserve native muscle structure for better tissue regeneration and modeling.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Skeletal muscle tissue engineering (SMTE) requires scaffolds mimicking native muscle's anisotropic structure and mechanical properties.
- Current decellularization methods for muscle tissue have limitations, including incomplete cell removal or disruption of native architecture.
- Producing long, continuous scaffolds for physiologically relevant muscle units remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an intermediate strategy for fabricating long, aligned scaffolds from native muscle bundles for SMTE.
- To overcome the limitations of whole-muscle and minced-tissue decellularization methods.
- To create structurally faithful skeletal muscle scaffolds for applications in regenerative medicine and disease modeling.
Main Methods:
- Dissection of native muscle bundles exceeding 10 cm to preserve native alignment.
- Mild detergent-based decellularization to remove cellular material while maintaining extracellular matrix (ECM) structure and mechanics.
- Fabrication of long, aligned scaffolds from decellularized muscle bundles.
Main Results:
- Efficient removal of cellular material was achieved while preserving ECM structure and mechanics.
- The resulting scaffolds supported myogenic cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation.
- Demonstrated suitability for in vitro muscle tissue culture.
Conclusions:
- The presented intermediate strategy enables the fabrication of macroscale, structurally faithful skeletal muscle scaffolds.
- This accessible approach bridges the gap between whole-muscle and minced-tissue decellularization methods.
- The method provides a straightforward route to generate long, aligned scaffolds for SMTE applications.
