UCLA

Bacterial nanocellulose is a durable, flexible, and dynamic biomaterial capable of servicing a wide variety of fields and sectors, from electronics, agriculture, and fashion to applications within biotechnology and healthcare. Bacterial nanocellulose is produced spontaneously in carbohydrate-rich bacterial culture media, forming a cellulosic pellicle via a nanonetwork of fibrils extruded from certain genera. Here, we describe bacterial nanocellulose – a simple cellulose – synthesis and material processing from Gram-negative Gluconacetobacter xylinum. We first demonstrate physical and mechanical tuning of bacterial nanocellulose through post-processing in order to optimize biocompatibility – in the form of a soft, flexible bio-mesh – with human skeletal muscle myoblasts for tissue engineering. We compared physiologic maturation markers of human skeletal muscle myoblast development using a 2.5-dimensional culture paradigm in fabricated bacterial nanocellulose and 20% gelatin methacryloyl hydrogels, compared to two-dimensional controls. Further, we compare an array of metrics to assess bacterial nanocellulose in a head-to-head study with commercially available, clinically approved matrices, where bacterial nanocellulose outcompeted industry standard matrices as well as 20% gelatin methacryloyl hydrogels in durability and sustained support of human skeletal muscle myoblasts in vitro. Finally, we demonstrate that culture of human skeletal muscle myoblasts in bacterial nanocellulose developed under electrical stimulation via computer assisted design modeling produced highly aligned, physiologic morphology of human skeletal muscle myofibers compared to gelatin methacryloyl hydrogels, commercial matrices, and standard two-dimensional culture. Sustained support of patient-based human biological tissues on biocompatible scaffolds offers attractive precision-medicine solutions to foreign body response and implant rejection in surgical reconstruction and repair. Traditional implants for tissue laxity repair or soft tissue reconstruction often do not match or do not have sufficient biocompatibility with the tissues they are intended to support or to replace, leading to mechanical imbalances or disturbances, as well as inflammation, pain, and other adverse outcomes. This work demonstrates bacterial nanocellulose compatibility with human skeletal muscle cells and sets the basis for future work in healthcare, bioengineering, and medical implant technological development.