Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering: Which Cell to Use?

Abstract

Tissue-engineered skeletal muscle is urgently required to treat a wide array of devastating congenital and acquired conditions. Selection of the appropriate cell type requires consideration of several factors which amongst others include, accessibility of the cell source, in vitro myogenicity at high efficiency with the ability to maintain differentiation over extended periods of time, susceptibility to genetic manipulation, a suitable mode of delivery and finally in vivo differentiation giving rise to restoration of structural morphology and function. Potential stem-progenitor cell sources include and are not limited to satellite cells, myoblasts, mesoangioblasts, pericytes, muscle side-population cells, CD133(+) cells, in addition to embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, amniotic fluid stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. The relative merits and inherent limitations of these cell types within the field of tissue-engineering are discussed in the light of current research. Recent advances in the field of iPS cells should bear the fruits for some exciting developments within the field in the forthcoming years.

Materials from Mussel-Inspired Chemistry for Cell and Tissue Engineering Applications

“…136 Muscle cells possess relatively limited ability to regenerate under in vivo conditions. 137 Thus, muscle tissue engineering strategies mainly focus on recapitulating the native environment using biomaterial scaffolds in combination with autologous cells. Toward this end, numerous strategies have been pursued to improve interactions between materials and muscle cells.…”

Engineering Approaches for Creating Skeletal Muscle

“…41 Although MSCs can differentiate into myoblast lineages in vitro, doubt has been casted on the ability of the in vivo environment to also induce such a change. 42 In vitro differentiation of MSCs can be accomplished through growth in media designed for skeletal muscle or culture media conditioned by skeletal muscle cells. 43 While these techniques have been shown to cause differentiation, more work is needed to fully replicate the adult myocyte phenotype in a culture.…”

Gene and cell therapy for muscle regeneration

“…In response to fiber damage, these normally quiescent cells activate and proliferate; this process is largely controlled by Myf5 and MyoD. Few Pax7 + MyoD − cells return to a quiescent state, and the majority Pax7 + MyoD + commit to differentiation, exit the cell cycle, and fuse with each other to generate new repaired myofibrils [33]. Satellite cells are rare, accounting for less than 5 % of total myofiber nuclei in humans [34].…”