Iranian Scientists Present New Method for Muscle Tissue Regeneration

The research was conducted by Parmida Harirchi, a master's student in chemical engineering, under the supervision of Payam Zahedi, an associate professor at the faculty of chemical engineering of the University of Tehran.

"This scaffold is based on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and provides a suitable substrate for the growth and organization of muscle cells," said Zahedi

Noting that liquid crystal elastomers are suitable materials for biological scaffolds due to their unique physical and mechanical properties, he said, "These materials enjoy the capability to change shape under stimuli such as temperature and light, and for this reason they are suitable for application as soft robotics, artificial muscles, and tissue engineering. The use of these materials in the design of tissue engineering scaffolds can allow for precise adjustment of surface and mechanical properties, thereby influencing the growth and organization of cells.”

“In this study, the chemical reaction of thiol-acrylate polymerization was used to synthesize LCE films. The samples produced after ultraviolet irradiation were evaluated and properties like crosslink density, thermal and surface changes were investigated. The results showed that ultraviolet irradiation leads to increased cell adhesion and organization. These changes were applied to modify the surface properties of the scaffold and increase its biocompatibility,” Zahedi said.

“In a bid to examine the performance of the scaffolds, C2C12 muscle cells, which are precursor cells of mouse skeletal muscles, were cultured on these substrates. The results showed that the cells grew and differentiated better in ultraviolet-irradiated media and transformed into a structure of regular muscle fibrils, which closely resembles natural muscle tissue,” he added.

In a relevant development in March, specialists of a knowledge-based company had also managed to produce and commercialize nanostructured materials for bone regeneration with wide applications in dentistry, orthopedics and regenerative medicine.

“Biomimetic nanobone is the world's first bone-generating product in which both the organic and inorganic phases are nanometer and consists of self-assembled peptide nanofibers and nanohydroxyapatite,” said Shima Tavakkol, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.

“Accelerated bone generation without causing infection and inflammation is one of the main advantages of the biomimetic nanobone,” she added.

Noting that the product is mainly used for filling horizontal and vertical pores and rapid bone regeneration, Tavakkol said, “The Nanobone block has large internal pores and allows autologous proteins of the blood to enter the nanopores and the internal surface is completely covered.”

She added that the customers of this product are orthopedic surgeons, dentists, maxillofacial surgeons, periodontology and spine surgeons.

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