Almost real bioengineered muscles

Artificial muscles are capable of self-medication

Kirill Stasevich, Compulenta

At Duke University (USA), they managed to grow artificial muscles that almost do not differ from natural ones. Of course, such studies have been conducted before, but until now, muscles cultivated in the laboratory were inferior to natural ones in strength. Now, as Nenad Bursac and his colleagues write in the journal PNAS, the strength of artificial muscle contractions has been brought to natural values (Juhas et al., Biomimetic engineered muscle with capacity for vascular integration and functional maturation in vivo).

Artificial muscle fibers equipped with fluorescent proteins
(here and below are photos of Duke University).

And it was possible to do this thanks to the fact that scientists were able to insert stem cells into artificial muscles.

Each muscle has a supply of such cells, called satellite cells, and, for example, when a muscle is damaged, it is the stem cells that restore the lost muscle fibers – and the former strength returns to the muscle. Until now, in an attempt to regenerate the muscle, researchers have transplanted either simply satellite cells or artificial immature muscle in the expectation that it will reach the desired state in the body with the help of local stem cells. However, such methods did not meet expectations.

But this time it was possible to create such conditions in the artificial muscle that allowed the stem cells to turn on and manifest themselves. As a result, the muscle was 10 times stronger than other analogues. Moreover, if she was poisoned with snake toxin, then the stem cells tried to repair the damage, they divided and replaced the poisoned, damaged fibers. That is, the resulting muscle was not just stronger than analogues, it could also treat itself:

Artificial muscle was tested not only by itself, but also on animals. To do this, a small camera was made on the mice's back, a recess in the muscles, covered with transparent material to make a "window" (no matter how brutal it may sound). A grown muscle was implanted into this recess, the "window" was closed and the condition of the tissues was monitored for two weeks. The artificial muscles were modified in such a way that they could glow due to fluorescent protein when calcium flows increased in them. Calcium is necessary for muscle contraction, so that muscle activity could be observed by fluorescence.

Experiments on mice showed that artificial muscles take root well: blood vessels began to sprout in them, and the strength of the implanted fibers was quite adequate to the strength of the surrounding natural muscles.

In the future, scientists intend to test whether such muscles can replace natural ones no longer with an artificial wound, but with real damage or disease associated with the degradation of muscle fibers.

Prepared based on the materials of Duke University: Self-healing engineered muscle grown in the laboratory.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru 02.04.2014