Highly Aligned Ternary Nanofiber Matrices Loaded with MXene Expedite Regeneration of Volumetric Muscle Loss
Researchers at Pusan National University have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by confirming the muscle regeneration potential of MXene nanoparticles, a material anticipated to drive future innovations.
Pusan National University, led by President Jeong-In Cha, revealed on the 25th, that a collaborative research team, headed by prof. Dong-Wook Han and prof. Suck Won Hong (Dept. of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering), in conjunction with prof. Yun Hak Kim (School of Medicine), has successfully developed MXene-including nanofibrous matrices for treating volumetric muscle loss (VML). This research was published in the 4th January in ‘Nano-Micro Letters’, a globally recognized journal focusing on multidisciplinary research in nano- and micro-scale materials.
MXene is two-dimensional nanoparticles obtained through etching metal carbides or nitrides. MXene's unique structural features hydrophilic functional groups and thin layered morphology, which result in specific optical properties, low toxicity, and easy chemical modification. These extraordinary characteristics endow them possibility to be applied in diverse biomedical fields such as biosensors, biomedical imaging, and medical devices.
Han et al. reported that the developed hybrid nanofiber matrices, combining collagen, poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL), and MXene, showed 230% faster muscle regeneration and 122% more regenerated muscle fibers compared to the untreated control group. The underlying biological mechanism was unveiled, triggered by the accumulation of calcium ions within MXene, activating the iNOS/SGK1-mediated mTOR-AKT pathway. This activation fosters the survival, proliferation, myogenic differentiation, and protein synthesis of myoblasts.
prof. Han emphasized the significance of the study, highlighting that it is pioneering attempt to unveil the biological mechanism by which MXene nanoparticles promote muscle differentiation. He expressed optimism about MXene's potential as a promising treatment for muscle regeneration, planning further experiments and optimization to develop MXene nanofibrous matrices into a tissue engineering-based medical device for clinical translation.
* Reference
- Authors (Pusan National University): Moon Sung Kang (Dept. of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, College of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology), Yeuni Yu (Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine), Rowoon Park (Dept. of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, College of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology), Suck Won Hong (Dept. of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, College of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology), Yun Hak Kim (Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine), Dong-Wook Han (Dept. of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, College of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology)
- Title of original paper: Highly Aligned Ternary Nanofiber Matrices Loaded with MXene Expedite Regeneration of Volumetric Muscle Loss
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40820-023-01293-1
- Journal: Nano-Micro Letters
- DOI: 10.1007/s40820-023-01293-1