Output details

The effect of cell density on the maturation and contractile ability of muscle derived cells in a 3D tissue-engineered skeletal muscle model and determination of the cellular and mechanical stimuli required for the synthesis of a postural phenotype

The successful engineering of a truly biomimetic model of skeletal muscle could have a significant impact on a number of biomedical disciplines. Although a variety of techniques are currently being developed, there is, as of yet, no widely available and easily reproducible culture system for the synthesis of 3D artificial muscle tissues. This is a first report of the effect of cell density on the performance of cells in a 3D collagen model of skeletal muscle. This report demonstrates that an optimum density is essential in terms of peak force generation and myogenic gene expression. This is the first report to show that increasing densities lead to the formation of a more physiologically relevant 3D in vitro tissue construct with a phenotype characteristic of slow, postural muscle.