Rod-shaped Tissue Engineered Skeletal Muscle with Artificial Anchors to Utilize as a Bio-Actuator

Living muscle tissue seems to have an efficient potential as an actuator. We propose to utilize a tissue engineered skeletal muscle (TESM) as a bio-actuator by connecting to the object through artificial anchors. We designed a rod-shaped TESM with artificial anchors and fabricated it by culturing myoblasts in collagen gel for several days. The contractile ability and controllability of the TESM were confirmed by stimulating electrically. The contractions were evoked forcibly and synchronously by electrical pulses under 4.5 Hz. The electrical pulses at 8 Hz kept the contractile state. As potential anchor materials, silicone sponge and nonwoven nylon mesh were examined. The anchors made of nonwoven nylon mesh held a rod-shaped TESM for more than 3 weeks successfully, while the anchors made of silicone sponge held it for only 2-4 days and the TESM broke down at the connecting area. The mechanical endurance between the TESM and the nylon anchors was examined using our original stretching device. No damage was observed from the repeated mechanical loading at 0.5 Hz with 5 % stretch rate for 10 days. We concluded that the TESM has good potential for utilization as a bio-actuator and its abilities can be exploited by connecting it to an object through artificial anchors.

[1]  Albert J Banes,et al.  Novel system for engineering bioartificial tendons and application of mechanical load. , 2003, Tissue engineering.

[2]  Andreas Hess,et al.  Engineered heart tissue grafts improve systolic and diastolic function in infarcted rat hearts , 2006, Nature Medicine.

[3]  Takehiko Kitamori,et al.  Demonstration of a bio-microactuator powered by cultured cardiomyocytes coupled to hydrogel micropillars , 2006 .

[4]  Takehiko Kitamori,et al.  A micro-spherical heart pump powered by cultured cardiomyocytes. , 2007, Lab on a chip.

[5]  Takehiko Kitamori,et al.  Demonstration of a PDMS-based bio-microactuator using cultured cardiomyocytes to drive polymer micropillars. , 2006, Lab on a chip.

[6]  T. Matsuda,et al.  Tissue engineered skeletal muscle: preparation of highly dense, highly oriented hybrid muscular tissues. , 1998, Cell transplantation.

[7]  Toshia Fujisato,et al.  Control of myotube contraction using electrical pulse stimulation for bio-actuator , 2009, Journal of Artificial Organs.

[8]  R G Dennis,et al.  Excitability and contractility of skeletal muscle engineered from primary cultures and cell lines. , 2001, American journal of physiology. Cell physiology.

[9]  Herman H. Vandenburgh,et al.  Maintenance of highly contractile tissue-cultured avian skeletal myotubes in collagen gel , 1988, In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology.

[10]  Robin I. M. Dunbar,et al.  Muscular Thin Films for Building Actuators and Powering Devices , 2007 .

[11]  Cees W J Oomens,et al.  Monitoring local cell viability in engineered tissues: a fast, quantitative, and nondestructive approach. , 2003, Tissue engineering.

[12]  Keisuke Morishima,et al.  Controllable Bio-Microactuator Powered by Muscle Cells , 2006, 2006 International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[13]  Masayuki Yamato,et al.  Long-term survival and growth of pulsatile myocardial tissue grafts engineered by the layering of cardiomyocyte sheets. , 2006, Tissue engineering.

[14]  Takehiko Kitamori,et al.  An actuated pump on-chip powered by cultured cardiomyocytes. , 2006, Lab on a chip.

[15]  Robert G. Dennis,et al.  Excitability and isometric contractile properties of mammalian skeletal muscle constructs engineered in vitro , 2000, In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal.

[16]  D. Tiede,et al.  Myogenesis of avian striated muscle in vitro: role of collagen in myofiber formation. , 1975, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[17]  F. V. McCann.  Electrophysiology of an Insect Heart , 1963, The Journal of general physiology.

[18]  H. Vandenburgh,et al.  A simplified method for tissue engineering skeletal muscle organoids in vitro , 1997, In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal.

[19]  D. L. Harris,et al.  Mechanistic stoichiometry of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. , 1991, Biochemistry.

[20]  Keisuke Morishima,et al.  Long-term and room temperature operable bioactuator powered by insect dorsal vessel tissue. , 2009, Lab on a chip.

[21]  Thomas Eschenhagen,et al.  Three‐dimensional reconstitution of embryonic cardiomyocytes in a collagen matrix: a new heart muscle model system , 1997, FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

[22]  I. Hunter,et al.  A comparison of muscle with artificial actuators , 1992, Technical Digest IEEE Solid-State Sensor and Actuator Workshop.

[23]  H. Vandenburgh,et al.  Mechanical stimulation improves tissue-engineered human skeletal muscle. , 2002, American journal of physiology. Cell physiology.

[24]  Toshiaki Hisada,et al.  Single cell mechanics of rat cardiomyocytes under isometric, unloaded, and physiologically loaded conditions. , 2004, American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology.

[25]  J. Xi,et al.  Self-assembled microdevices driven by muscle , 2005, Nature materials.

[26]  E. Taylor,et al.  Mechanism of adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis by actomyosin. , 1971, Biochemistry.

[27]  Byungkyu Kim,et al.  Establishment of a fabrication method for a long-term actuated hybrid cell robot. , 2007, Lab on a chip.

[28]  Byung Kyu Kim,et al.  Fabrication of patterned micromuscles with high activity for powering biohybrid microdevices , 2006 .

[29]  S. Weidmann,et al.  Cardiac resting and action potentials recorded with an intracellular electrode , 1951, The Journal of physiology.

[30]  H. Vandenburgh,et al.  Computer‐aided mechanogenesis of skeletal muscle organs from single cells in vitro , 1991, FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.