title: Stem cell-derived tissue-engineered constructs for hemilaryngeal reconstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As an initial step toward our goal of developing a completely tissue-engineered larynx, the aim of this study was to describe and compare three strategies of creating tissue-engineered muscle-polymer constructs for hemilaryngeal reconstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cartilage-mimicking polymer was developed from electrospun poly(D,L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PCL). Primary muscle progenitor cell cultures were derived from syngeneic F344 rat skeletal muscle biopsies. Twenty F344 rats underwent resection of the outer hemilaryngeal cartilage with the underlying laryngeal adductor muscle. The defects were repaired with muscle stem cell-derived muscle-PCL constructs (5 animals), myotube-derived muscle-PCL constructs (5 animals), motor end plate-expressing muscle-PCL constructs (5 animals), or PCL alone (controls; 5 animals). The outcome measures at 1 month included animal survival, muscle thickness, and innervation status as determined by electromyography and immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the animals survived the 1-month implant period and had appropriate weight gain. The group that received motor end plate-expressing muscle-PCL constructs demonstrated the greatest muscle thickness and the strongest innervation, according to electromyographic activity and the percentage of motor end plates that had nerve contact.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although all of the tissue-engineered constructs provided effective reconstruction, those that expressed motor end plates before implantation yielded muscle that was more strongly innervated and viable. This finding suggests that this novel approach may be useful in the development of a tissue-engineered laryngeal replacement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine (Halum, Bijangi-Vishehsaraei, Zhang, Sowinski), Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Stacey L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Halum
authors.forename: Khadijeh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bijangi-Vishehsaraei
authors.forename: Hongji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sowinski
authors.forename: Marco C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bottino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007830:Larynx; D008297:Male; D009045:Motor Endplate; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal; D032448:Myoblasts, Skeletal; D011091:Polyesters; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; C062968:lactide-caprolactone copolymer
keywords: muscle progenitor cell; muscle stem cell; reconstruction; scaffold; tissue-engineered implant