Tissue-engineered skeletal muscle and its application to actuator

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K01383
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biomaterial science and engineering
• Research Institution: Osaka Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: FUJISATO Toshiya 大阪工業大学, 工学部, 教授 (60270732)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 筋組織工学 / 培養骨格筋 / アクチュエータ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The living muscles have excellent characteristics of lightweight, high flexibility, and remarkable efficiency for driving energy. In this work, a three-dimensionally cultured tissue-engineered skeletal muscle has been developed for actuator driven by electric stimulation. Effective electric stimulation for long-term drive of the tissue-engineered actuator has been studied.
The isometric twitch force of the tissue-engineered muscle actuator was not affected by continuous twitch induced by single electric stimulation. However, it gradually decreased by continuous tetanus induced by electric stimulation of more than 15Hz frequency. The isometric twitch force recovered soon after the end of continuous tetanus when the frequency of electric stimulation was low, however it was not recovered enough when the frequency was high.
These results suggest that the frequency of electric stimulation to the tissue-engineered muscle actuator is important for its long-term drive.

Free Research Field

組織工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

骨格筋組織は単なる身体の物理運動を担う組織と思われがちである。しかし、最近では、運動に伴ってマイオカインと呼ばれる健康に資する様々な生理活性物質を分泌していることも明らかとなり、適度な運動が身体の健康維持に重要であることを示している。
本研究では、培養骨格筋のアクチュエータへの応用について検討した結果、電気刺激を工夫することで、比較的長時間収縮運動できることを見いだした。この成果はマイオカインを生産するためのデバイスや機能性食品としての展開に期待できると考えている。すなわち、筋肉運動と疾病改善との関係を明確化でき、我が国の健康寿命の延長に資すると考えている。