Authors:

Gabrielle Tanner

Date Created:

Not specified

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About Paper:

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) is a condition marked by excessive scar tissue deposition and functional disability following severe muscle trauma wherein the volume of tissue lost exceeds the body's regenerative capacity. There is currently no effective treatment for VML, but bioengineering interventions such as biomaterials that fill the VML defect to support tissue repair are a promising strategy. However, traditional biomaterials used for this purpose are either non-porous or have rigid form, making them challenging to implant. In the present study, we tested the effects of granular hydrogels - an emerging class of injectable and porous biomaterials - on muscle repair, hypothesizing that their porosity will support native cell invasion and their flowability will permit conformable defect filling, leading to effective muscle repair. We prepared granular hydrogels by fragmenting bulk crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogels, then created a bilateral VML injury in the tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of 12-14 week old mice and implanted either granular or bulk (control) hydrogels. Muscle forces were quantified at baseline and after 4 weeks. Muscles were then histologically processed and stained to evaluate cell and vessel invasion, scar deposition, and new muscle fiber formation. Invasion of non-myogenic (Hoechst) and myogenic (Pax7+ satellite cells), and embryonic myosin heavy chain (new fibers) into the defect region were found to be significantly greater in granular hydrogel groups than in bulk groups, providing the first evidence of the efficacy of granular hydrogels in the effective treatment of VML injuries.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Gabrielle Tanner