Biocompatible Elastic Conductive Films Significantly Enhanced Myogenic Differentiation of Myoblast for Skeletal Muscle Regeneration

The key factor in skeletal muscle tissue engineering is regeneration of the functional skeletal muscles. Materials that could promote the myoblast proliferation and myogenic differentiation are promising candidates in skeletal muscle tissue engineering. Herein, we developed an elastic conductive poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(glycerol sebacate) (PEGS) grafted aniline pentamer (AP) copolymer that could promote the formation of myotubes by differentiating the C2C12 myoblast cells. The results of hydration behavior and water contact angle suggested that by adjusting the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and AP content, this film showed a proper surface hydrophilicity for cell attachment. Additionally, these films showed tunable conductivity and mechanical properties that can be altered by changing the AP content. The maximum conductivity of the films was 1.84 × 10^-4 S/cm and the Young's modulus of these films ranged from 14.58 ± 1.35 MPa to 24.62 ± 0.61 MPa. Our findings indicate that the PEGS-AP films promote the proliferation and myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells, suggesting that they are promising biomaterials for skeletal muscle tissue engineering.