The role of extracellular matrix composition in structure and function of bioengineered skeletal muscle.

ABSTRACT: One of the obstacles to the potential clinical utility of bioengineered skeletal muscle is its limited force generation capacity. Since engineered muscle, unlike most native muscle tissue, is composed of relatively short myofibers, we hypothesized that, its force production and transmission would be profoundly influenced by cell-matrix interactions. To test this hypothesis, we systematically varied the matrix protein type (collagen I/fibrin/Matrigel) and concentration in engineered, hydrogel-based neonatal rat skeletal muscle bundles and assessed the resulting tissue structure, generation of contractile force, and intracellular Ca(2+) handling. After two weeks of culture, the muscle bundles consisted of highly aligned and cross-striated myofibers and exhibited standard force-length and for

SUBMITTER: Hinds S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3057410 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature