Engineering 3D Skeletal Muscle Tissue with Complex Multipennate Myofiber Architectures

Abstract

The hierarchical architecture of skeletal muscle spans from microscale sarcomeres to macroscale myofibers and is integral to its contractile functionality. Pathologies such as volumetric muscle loss (VML) compromise this structure and destroy the native extracellular matrix (ECM), exceeding the regenerative capacity of endogenous repair mechanisms. Here, we present a novel method for tissue engineering biomimetic three-dimensional (3D) skeletal muscle with complex architectures by leveraging freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels (FRESH) 3D bioprinting of the ECM. Collagen type I scaffolds mimicking diverse muscle architectures-- including parallel, unipennate, bipennate, multipennate, and convergent--were designed, FRESH printed, and seeded with C2C12 myoblasts to guide myogenesis. Engineered muscle tissues demonstrated scaffold-mediated alignment and fusion into functional myotubes, exhibiting contractile responses to electrical stimulation with architecture-dependent specific force of [~]1 kN/m2 and a positive force-frequency relationship. In vivo implantation further revealed scaffold-directed cellular and vascular organization, underscoring the translational potential of this approach. In summary, this study demonstrates the capability to use FRESH 3D bioprinting to engineer physiologically relevant muscle architectures, significantly advancing the design of functional muscle tissues for regenerative medicine and in vitro modeling applications.