Abstract
The human body consists of many organs, made up of tissues. Of these tissues, the most common in the body is skeletal muscle, consisting of around 40% of your body. Not only does it make up most of the human body, it also plays an important role in movement, heat generation, and internal organ protection. In a healthy human, the use and recovery of this muscle is effective. However, in situations of congenital muscular dystrophy, severe trauma, or old age, the recovery of skeletal muscles is limited, therefore putting the body at risk. Dr. Bai and his team researched this issue and found that it is possible to use nanotechnology to enhance the recovery of skeletal muscle in those with conditions that prevent full recovery.
Intro of Nanotechnology
The use of nano-materials is the use of materials that are less than 100nm in size, according to Dr. Bai. There are four dimensionality types of nanomaterial, and each can interact with cells at the nanoscale. 0D – 2D nanomaterials are classified as low-dimensional. Unlike other treatments, nanotechnology ensures another level of intricate and accurate biomedicine, as it targets bodily issues at the almost cellular level.
Have you ever strained a muscle? Did it cause inflammation in the area in which it happened? This is a normal reaction to an acute skeletal muscle injury along with edema (or swelling), muscle atrophy, fat infiltration, and other pathological changes.. However, if untreated, the acute injury could cause widespread muscle necrosis, fibrosis, and even severe damage to the microstructure and function of muscle bundles. In a healthy human, if an acute skeletal muscle injury happens, the body goes through a process to ensure fully repaired tissue. First, an intrusion of immune cells called macrophages occurs. These macrophages instigate an inflammatory response while supporting muscle and bone mesenchymal stem cells, or BMSCs. Eventually, the pro-inflammatory macrophages translate into anti-inflammatory cells, assisting the recovery of the muscle and causing the inflammation to reduce.
Nanotechnology & Skeletal Muscle Repair
Unfortunately, in some people, this process is faulty, causing incomplete recovery. In these situations, 2-dimensional nanomaterials can be used to facilitate a more complete recovery. Dr. Bai et. al found that this was the most suitable dimension of material for this issue as it contains a high surface area, shows promising biocompatibility, and has mechanical and electrical properties that are easy to manipulate from case to case. They also have a controllable thickness, as well as easily handled physical and chemical properties. Dr. Bai and his team used this nanomaterial to create a bioscaffolding that would help with muscle repair. These bioscaffolds adhere to the cells in the injured part of the muscle and using unique electrical current uses the cells to create a myotube. The myotube would then be recognized by the myoblasts, inducing a signal through the myogenic progenitor cell and initiating a muscle cell differentiation, further causing formation of a new muscle.
With an upcoming from nanotechnology and its role in skeletal muscles, doctors and scientists can explore more precise and long-lasting treatments and cures for those with genetic diseases that affect their bodily functions, such as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, myotonic dystrophy, and metabolic myopathies.
References:
Hongyu Bai, Lu Liu, Zhiwen Luo, Renwen Wan, Jiwu Chen,
Advancements in two-dimensional nanomaterials for regenerative medicine in skeletal muscle repair,
Materials Today Bio,
Volume 33,
2025,
101924,
ISSN 2590-0064,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.101924.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590006425004946)
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