A Borophosphate Glass Doped with Cobalt Oxide Improves Skeletal Muscle Structure and Function in Myopathic Mice

Author

• Jacob A. Kendra
• Alexandra G. Naman
• Rebekah L. Blatt
• Carla D. Zingariello
• Richard K. Brow, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow
• Steven S. Segal
• Aaron B. Morton

Abstract

Skeletal muscle myopathy remains a significant cause of disability with limited treatment strategies. Advancements in tissue engineering have led to the development of borophosphate bioactive glasses (BPBGs) capable of enhancing skeletal muscle structure and function. Using a mouse model of severe myopathy (D2.mdx), we investigated muscle force, regeneration, angiogenesis and inflammation at 14, 70 and 140 days post-treatment (dpt). Tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of D2.mdx mice that received a single injection of cobalt oxide-doped BPBG (CoO-TRIM) particles exhibit greater active force, myofiber size, and regeneration through 70 dpt compared to control D2.mdx mice injected with Saline. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was elevated up to 70 dpt in D2.mdx CoO-TRIM mice followed by increased muscle vascularity. As a marker of inflammation, interleukin (IL)-6 increased in D2.mdx CoO-TRIM mice compared to D2.mdx Saline controls at 14 dpt, with no differences at 70 or 140 dpt. No differences were observed in outcome measures between wild-type (WT) CoO-TRIM mice and WT Saline controls. We report that CoO-TRIM can stimulate VEGF production and promote restoration of muscle structure and function when inflammation is present. Local injection of an inorganic biomaterial alone can benefit myopathic skeletal muscle.

Recommended Citation

J. A. Kendra et al., "A Borophosphate Glass Doped with Cobalt Oxide Improves Skeletal Muscle Structure and Function in Myopathic Mice," Journal of Functional Biomaterials, vol. 17, no. 3, article no. 155, MDPI, Mar 2026.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb17030155

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Publication Status

Open Access

Comments

School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Grant LRP 2L40AR077899-02A3

Keywords and Phrases

angiogenesis; bioactive glass; inorganic biomaterial; myopathy; regenerative medicine; skeletal muscle

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2079-4983

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Final Version

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026 The Authors, All rights reserved.

Creative Commons Licensing

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Publication Date

01 Mar 2026