Search

Overcoming the challenge of creating thick, tissue-resembling muscle constructs is paramount in the field of cultivated meat production. This study investigates the remarkable potential of random cellulose acetate nanofibers (CAN) as a transformative scaffold for muscle tissue engineering (MTE), specifically in the context of cultivated meat applications. Through a comparative analysis between random and aligned CAN, utilizing C2C12 and H9c2 myoblasts, we unveil the unparalleled capabilities of random CAN in facilitating muscle differentiation, independent of differentiation media, by exploiting the YAP/TAZ-related mechanotransduction pathway. In addition, we have successfully developed a novel process for stacking cell-loaded CAN sheets, enabling the production of a three-dimensional meat product. C2C12 and H9c2 loaded CAN sheets were stacked (up to four layers) to form a ~300–400 μm thick tissue 2 cm in length, organized in a mesh of uniaxial aligned cells. To further demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology for cultivated meat purposes, we have generated thick and viable constructs using chicken muscle satellite cells (cSCs) and random CAN. This groundbreaking discovery offers a cost-effective and biomimetic solution for cultivating and differentiating muscle cells, forging a crucial link between tissue engineering and the pursuit of sustainable and affordable cultivated meat production.

Fat is an essential component of meat which contributes to its sensory characteristics. Therefore, producing cultivated fat is essential to replicate the texture, flavor, and juiciness of conventional meat. One of the challenges in obtaining cultivated fat is that once adipocytes reach differentiation in culture, they tend to float. In this study, we tested whether immortalized pre-adipocytes could be viable, grow, and differentiate when cultivated onto a fibrous scaffold produced by the electrospun of cellulose acetate. Our results demonstrated that the cells attach, proliferate, colonize, and differentiate into mature adipocytes in the three-dimensional fibrous structure during the culture period. Moreover, when layers of the scaffold containing differentiated cells were stacked, it acquired a characteristic similar to conventional animal fat. Therefore, this research suggests that fibrous scaffolds produced using cellulose acetate are a promising substrate for producing cultivated fat.

Electrospinning emerged as a promising technique to produce scaffolds for cultivated meat in function of its simplicity, versatility, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. Cellulose acetate (CA) is a biocompatible and low-cost material that support cell adhesion and proliferation. Here we investigated CA nanofibers, associated or not with a bioactive annatto extract (CA@A), a food-dye, as potential scaffolds for cultivated meat and muscle tissue engineering. The obtained CA nanofibers were evaluated concerning its physicochemical, morphological, mechanical and biological traits. UV-vis spectroscopy and contact angle measurements confirmed the annatto extract incorporation into the CA nanofibers and the surface wettability of both scaffolds, respectively. SEM images revealed that the scaffolds are porous, containing fibers with no specific alignment. Compared with the pure CA nanofibers, CA@A nanofibers showed increased fiber diameter (420 ± 212 nm vs. 284 ± 130 nm). Mechanical properties revealed that the annatto extract induces a reduction of the stiffness of the scaffold. Molecular analyses revealed that while CA scaffold favored C2C12 myoblast differentiation, the annatto-loaded CA scaffold favored a proliferative state of these cells. These results suggest that the combination of cellulose acetate fibers loaded with annatto extract may be an interesting economical alternative for support long-term muscle cells culture with potential application as scaffold for cultivated meat and muscle tissue engineering.

Abstract The structure and properties of semi-crystalline polymers can be drastically tailored by extensional flows. In this work, polypropylene (PP), Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) were melt extruded through a sequence of rings designed to apply controlled extensional flows in the polymer melts. The effects of extensional flow on the structure and properties of the extruded filaments were then evaluated by mechanical tensile tests, dynamic-mechanical analysis (DMA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The DMA and tensile tests revealed a significant increase in terms of static and dynamic moduli for the polymers extruded through the extensional flow device. PP, PVDF and LDPE had their dynamic moduli enhanced 19%, 40% and 77%, respectively. These results were ascribed to the enhancement in crystallinity and orientation degree of the polymer chains induced by the extensional flow. The crystallinity was increased around 9% for PP, PVDF and LDPE extruded under extensional conditions.

Abstract In this work, nanocomposites based on the triblock copolymer polystyrene-b-polyisoprene-b-polystyrene (SIS) thermoplastic elastomer filled with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were obtained by melt mixing. The nanocomposites were characterized by oscillatory rheometry, electrical resistivity, small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that both, rheological and electrical percolation were achieved at MWCNT loadings between 1-3 vol.%. Rheological tests revealed that the insertion of MWCNT into SIS significantly enhanced the process of relaxation of SIS blocks. Resistivity measurements revealed that conductive nanocomposites were obtained at MWCNT loadings ~1.6 vol.%. The electrical resistivity decreased eleven orders of magnitude from neat SIS to SIS/ 5 vol.% MWCNT. Finally, SAXS and TEM showed that the melt mixing process and the presence of MWCNT hampered the self-assembly of SIS into well-ordered domains.