A Microphysiological Interface of Skeletal Myobundles and Inflamed Adipose Tissue for Recapitulating Muscle Dysfunction in an Obese Microenvironment.

ABSTRACT: Systemic inflammation associated with obesity impairs skeletal muscle function through paracrine signaling from intermuscular adipose tissue-adipose depots situated between adjacent skeletal muscle groups-as well as from visceral adipose tissue, which consist of infiltrating macrophages surrounding inflamed adipocytes. These signals disrupt metabolic homeostasis and reduce muscle contractility, yet existing models are limited in their ability to recapitulate the crosstalk between skeletal muscle and inflamed adipose tissue in a physiologically relevant context. To address this, a human cell-based microphysiological system is developed that combines engineered muscle tissue (EMT) with an inflamed adipose-macrophage co-culture (IAMC) to model obesity-associated muscle dysfunction. EMTs, deri

SUBMITTER: Kim S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12864593 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature