Background
The morbidities and complications reported in the reconstruction of large bony defects have inspired progression in the field of bioengineering, with a recent breakthrough for the use of decellularized skeletal muscle grafts (DSMG).
Aim
To assess the osteogenic potentials of seeded DSMG
in vitro
and to investigate bone regeneration in critical size defect
in vivo.
Materials and Methods
Assessment of cell viability and characterization was carried out on seeded DSMG for different intervals
in vitro
. For
in vivo
experiments, histological analysis was performed for rat cranial defects for the following groups: (A) non-treated DSMG and (B) seeded DSMG after a period of 8 weeks.
Results
The
in vitro
experiment demonstrated the lack of cytotoxicity and inert properties of seeded DSMG; these facilitated the osteogenic differentiation and significant gene expressions, particularly of
COL1A1
,
RUNX2
, and
OPN
(1.9174 ± 0.11673, 1.1806 ± 0.02383, and 1.1802 ± 0.00775, respectively). In the
in vivo
experiment, superior results were detected in the seeded DSMG group which showed highly vascularized and cellular dense connective tissue with deposited bone matrix and multiple scattered islets of newly formed bone.
Conclusion
Our results demonstrated the promising aspects of DSMG; however, there is a lack of studies to support further implications.