title: Characterization of electrospun poly(L-lactide) and gold nanoparticle composite scaffolds for skeletal muscle tissue engineering.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Tech-Wake Forrest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA.
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: McKeon-Fischer
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006046:Gold; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology*; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; C033616:poly(lactide); D006046:Gold