Gene-Activated Hydrogels Based on Sodium Alginate for Reparative Myogenesis of Skeletal Muscle

Abstract

Abstract: Two variants of gene-activated hydrogels based on sodium alginate containing plasmid DNA with the gene of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) are developed. The former represented alginate hydrogel without additional components; the latter contained up to 25 wt % of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) micrograins. Alginate-based hydrogels without OCP are characterized by a honeycomb structure with the pore size of 50–200 μm and mechanical compression strength of 0.2 MPa. Addition of OCP micrograins results in filling of the polymer framework by them and an increase in the compression strength to 0.57 MPa at 16.7 wt % of OCP with a decrease to 0.49 MPa with an increase in the OCP content to 20 wt %. Both variants of gene-activated hydrogels induce reparative myogenesis in the central zone of muscle defect; a larger number of MyoG+ cells and newly formed MyH7B+ muscle fibers are identified as compared to analogous hydrogels without plasmid DNA after two weeks after surgery (p < 0.05).