Microalgae empower skeletal muscle via increased force production and viability

IF 11.7 1区综合性期刊 Q1 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES

Science Advances Pub Date : 2025-07-16 DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adw5786

Xiang Wang, Claire Schirmer, Elena Totter, Simone Schuerle

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Abstract

Engineered skeletal muscle holds potential for tissue engineering and biohybrid robotics applications. However, current strategies face challenges in enhancing force generation while maintaining stability and scalability of the muscle, largely due to insufficient oxygenation and limited nutrient delivery. In this study, we present an engineering approach to address these limitations by coculturing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii ( C. reinhardtii ), a photosynthetic unicellular green microalga, with C2C12 myoblasts in a hydrogel matrix. Leveraging the photosynthetic activity of C. reinhardtii , our microalgae-empowered muscle (MAM) constructs exhibited superior contractility and almost three times higher active force generation compared to conventional muscle constructs. MAM showed higher cellular viability and reduced tissue damage, attributed to in situ oxygenation and nutrient supply provided by microalgal photosynthesis. In addition, improved myotube alignment was observed in MAM, which contributed to enhanced force generation. Our findings showcase the potential of photosynthetic microalgae as a functional component in engineered skeletal muscle, offering a solution to longstanding challenges in muscle engineering.

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微藻通过增加力量生产和生存能力来增强骨骼肌

工程骨骼肌具有组织工程和生物混合机器人应用的潜力。然而，目前的策略在增强力量生成的同时保持肌肉的稳定性和可扩展性方面面临挑战，这主要是由于氧合不足和营养输送有限。在这项研究中，我们提出了一种工程方法，通过将光合单细胞绿色微藻莱茵衣藻（C. reinhardtii）与水凝胶基质中的C2C12成肌细胞共培养来解决这些限制。利用C. reinhardtii的光合活性，我们的微藻增强肌肉（MAM）结构具有优越的收缩性，与传统肌肉结构相比，其产生的活动力几乎高出三倍。由于微藻光合作用提供的原位氧合和营养供应，MAM显示出更高的细胞活力和减少组织损伤。此外，在MAM中观察到改善的肌管对齐，这有助于增强力的产生。我们的研究结果展示了光合微藻作为工程骨骼肌功能组件的潜力，为肌肉工程中长期存在的挑战提供了解决方案。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Science Advances 综合性期刊-综合性期刊

CiteScore

21.40

自引率

1.50%

发文量

1937

审稿时长

29 weeks

期刊介绍： Science Advances, an open-access journal by AAAS, publishes impactful research in diverse scientific areas. It aims for fair, fast, and expert peer review, providing freely accessible research to readers. Led by distinguished scientists, the journal supports AAAS's mission by extending Science magazine's capacity to identify and promote significant advances. Evolving digital publishing technologies play a crucial role in advancing AAAS's global mission for science communication and benefitting humankind.