Characterization of electrospun poly(L-lactide) and gold nanoparticle composite scaffolds for skeletal muscle tissue engineering

• Published in: Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine Vol. 5; no. 7; pp. 560 - 568
• Main Authors: McKeon-Fischer, K. D., Freeman, J. W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.07.2011
• Subjects: Animals; Gold; Metal Nanoparticles; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; muscle; Muscle, Skeletal - cytology; nanoparticles; Polyesters - chemistry; polylactic acid; Rats; Tissue Engineering
• ISSN: 1932-6254; 1932-7005
• DOI: 10.1002/term.348

Traumatic injuries can interrupt muscle contraction by damaging the skeletal muscle and/or the peripheral nerves. The healing process results in scar tissue formation that impedes muscle function. Electrospinning and metal nanoparticles (Nps) can create a scaffold that will trigger muscle cell elongation, orientation, fusion, and striation. Poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) and gold (Au) Nps were electrospun to create three composite scaffolds, 7% Au–PLLA, 13% Au–PLLA and 21% Au–PLLA, and compared to PLLA alone. The scaffolds had a conductivity of 0.008 ± 0.003 S/cm for PLLA, 0.053 ± 0.015 S/cm for 7% Au–PLLA, 0.076 ± 0.004 S/cm for 13% Au–PLLA and 0.094 ± 0.037 S/cm for 21% Au–PLLA. Next, a cell study was conducted with rat primary muscle cells and all three Au–PLLA scaffolds. The first cell study showed low cell proliferation on all three of the Au–PLLA scaffolds; however, the second cell study showed that this was not due to Au Nps toxicity. Instead, low cell proliferation may be a marker for myotube differentiation and fusion. Values for the elastic modulus and yield stress for the Au–PLLA scaffolds on days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 were much higher than those for skeletal muscle tissue. Therefore, lower amounts of Au Nps may be utilized to create a biodegradable, biocompatible and conductive scaffold for skeletal muscle repair. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.