Skeletal muscle is a highly plastic tissue, responding to exercise and mechanical loading. In vitro culture systems have been used to replicate this mechanical stimulus in order to study cellular and molecular adaptations. Previous research using such models has often lacked bio-mimicity, with respect to the in vitro culture, the mechanical loading, or both. This has lead to contradictory findings with regards to a variety of molecular outputs. Cell culture matrix and environment (2D or 3D), the type of mechanical loading (uni-axial or multi-axial) and the extent, speed and duration of stretching, are all likely to affect the adaptive responses of the cells and their maturation into functional muscle models. It is therefore necessary to develop a model which has greater physiological relevance if such models are to be used to further understand in vivo physiology
