Proliferation and skeletal myotube formation capability of C2C12 and H9c2 cells on isotropic and anisotropic electrospun nanofibrous PHB scaffolds

Published in Biomedical Materials, vol. 7(3), 035010 (2012) · IOP Publishing
DOI: 10.1088/1748-6041/7/3/035010

Summary

This study compares how two muscle-precursor cell lines — C2C12 (skeletal) and H9c2 (cardiac) — proliferate and form myotubes on electrospun poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) scaffolds with two different fibre architectures: isotropic (randomly oriented) and anisotropic (aligned) nanofibre meshes, alongside flat PHB films and polystyrene controls. The scaffolds, with fibres of about 200–400 nm, were first characterised for surface morphology, roughness and mechanical properties, then cell proliferation, myotube formation and differentiation markers were assessed, including genetic analyses. The key finding is that the aligned nanofibre mesh slows cell proliferation while giving a stronger differentiation stimulus, guiding more organised myotube formation than the random meshes. The authors also quantify a set of myotube parameters for both cell lines, informing the design of PHB scaffolds for muscle tissue engineering.

Authors & Affiliations

  • Leonardo Ricotti Corresponding
    The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna & IIT Center for MicroBioRobotics, Pontedera (Pisa), Italy
  • Alessandro Polini
    NNL, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy & Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
  • Giada G. Genchi
    The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pontedera (Pisa), Italy
  • Gianni Ciofani
    IIT Center for MicroBioRobotics, Pontedera (Pisa), Italy
  • Donata Iandolo
    NNL, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
  • Helena Vazão
    Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra & Biocant, Portugal
  • Virgilio Mattoli
    IIT Center for MicroBioRobotics, Pontedera (Pisa), Italy
  • Lino Ferreira
    Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra & Biocant, Portugal
  • Arianna Menciassi
    The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna & IIT Center for MicroBioRobotics, Pontedera (Pisa), Italy
  • Dario Pisignano
    NNL, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy

Topics

Muscle Tissue Engineering Fiber Alignment Cell Differentiation Myotube Formation

Materials

Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)

Linari Electrospinning Systems

Electrospinning machines by Linari Nanotech
Linari Nanotech designs and manufactures electrospinning systems for nanofiber research and production — including rotating-drum collectors for aligned (anisotropic) scaffolds.
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