Poster N3 - 3D Bioprinting of Electroactive Constructs for Treating Skeletal Muscle Injuries

Introduction: Musculoskeletal injuries, especially volumetric muscle loss (VML), pose significant challenges for tissue regeneration due to the limited effectiveness of current treatment approaches. Although tissue-engineered constructs offer promise, they often lack sufficient cues to promote functional muscle regeneration and lack of re-innervation, leading to poor functional recovery. Bioelectrical signals, crucial for tissue regeneration, can be helpful to solve this vital limitation in skeletal muscle tissue engineering. This study aims to create electroactive constructs that generate electrical stimulation to expedite muscle tissue regeneration in musculoskeletal injuries, specifically VML.

Materials and

Methods: We developed a composite hydrogel using alginate, gelatin, and chitosan. Next, we used extrusion-based 3D bioprinting to produce design-specific constructs. The composite bioink had suitable rheological properties. We tested the construct’s mechanical properties and characterized their electrical properties by applying controlled force and frequency to generate electrical fields and impulses.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: The composite bioink exhibited suitable rheological properties for extrusion-based 3D bioprinting, resulting in high-resolution constructs with good structural fidelity. The constructs demonstrated a stiffness (80kPa) like skeletal muscle tissue. They autonomously generated electrical fields and impulses when controlled forces were applied. These findings suggest the construct’s potential to provide bioelectrical cues for promoting muscle tissue regeneration in musculoskeletal wounds. This study presents the development of unique bioactive electroactive constructs capable of autonomously generating electrical stimulation to facilitate skeletal muscle tissue regeneration. By reintroducing bioelectrical cues, this construct offers a promising approach for enhancing the effectiveness of tissue regeneration strategies in treating musculoskeletal injuries, particularly VML.

Acknowledgements (Optional): We acknowledge Dr. Sikder’s Startup grant (STARTUP06) at Cleveland State University for this work.