Unwavering Pathobiology of Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury

Abstract

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) resulting from extremity trauma presents chronic and persistent functional deficits which ultimately manifest disability. Acellular biological scaffolds, or decellularized extracellular matrices (ECMs), embody an ideal treatment platform due to their current clinical use for soft tissue repair, off-the-shelf availability, and zero autogenous donor tissue burden. ECMs have been reported to promote functional skeletal muscle tissue remodeling in small and large animal models of VML injury, and this conclusion was reached in a recent clinical trial that enrolled 13 patients. However, numerous other pre-clinical reports have not observed ECM-mediated skeletal muscle regeneration. The current study was designed to reconcile these discrepancies. The capacity of ECMs to orchestrate functional muscle tissue remodeling was interrogated in a porcine VML injury model using unbiased assessments of muscle tissue regeneration and functional recovery. Here, we show that VML injury incites an overwhelming inflammatory and fibrotic response that leads to expansive fibrous tissue deposition and chronic functional deficits, which ECM repair does not augment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 13, 2017
Accession Number
AD1091085

Entities

People

  • Alain Watts
  • Benjamin T. Corona
  • Carlos A Aguilar
  • Jessica C. Rivera
  • Sarah M Greising
  • Stephen M. Goldman

Organizations

  • MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Body Weight
  • Cells
  • Confocal Microscopy
  • Gene Expression
  • Laboratory Animals
  • Medical Personnel
  • Muscle Fibers
  • Musculoskeletal Physiology
  • Pilot Studies
  • Skeletal Muscle
  • Soft Tissues
  • Surgery
  • Therapy
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Medicine

Readers

  • Immunology and Pathology
  • Trauma Surgery or Emergency Medicine.