ArticleFrontiers in pharmacology2025
Alginate-encapsulated muscle-derived stem cell spheroids promote muscle regeneration in a murine model of volumetric muscle loss.
Article in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Toward an Integrated Strategy for Volumetric Muscle Loss Regeneration.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Volumetric muscle loss (VML) remains a major clinical challenge due to the limited capacity of skeletal muscle to regenerate large-scale injuries. Muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) represent a promising therapeutic option for tissue regeneration; however, their clinical application is constrained by poor post-transplantation viability and limited engraftment. Alginate hydrogels offer a supportive three-dimensional microenvironment capable of encapsulating cells, promoting their survival, and enhancing paracrine signaling through the sustained release of growth factors. Methods: In this study, we developed and characterized MDSC spheroids and evaluated their regenerative potential when encapsulated in RGD-modified alginate hydrogels. Co-culture with endothelial cells significantly enhanced spheroid viability, indicating beneficial paracrine interactions. To further refine this strategy, 5% of the MDSCs were preconditioned with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) prior to spheroid formation and encapsulation, integrating a pharmacological preconditioning step into the cell-hydrogel platform. Encapsulated spheroids were implanted into a murine model of VML. Results: After 30 days, animals treated with alginate-encapsulated MDSC spheroids containing a 5% VEGF-preconditioned subfraction exhibited reduced granulation tissue, fewer degenerating myofibers, lower fibrosis, and improved early rota-rod performance compared with untreated and scaffold-only controls. Discussion: Together, these findings highlight a pioneering proof-of-concept platform that combines 3D MDSC spheroids, alginate-based delivery, and VEGF-mediated pharmacological preconditioning for VML repair. As a 100% unconditioned MDSC+alginate group was not included, the present study should not be interpreted as demonstrating
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.