The effect of matrix stiffness on mesenchymal stem cell differentiation in a 3D thixotropic gel (original) (raw)
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Polymers
Mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs) have a multi-differentiation potential into specialized cell types, with remarkable regenerative and therapeutic results. Several factors could trigger the differentiation of MSCs into specific lineages, among them the biophysical and chemical characteristics of the extracellular matrix (ECM), including its stiffness, composition, topography, and mechanical properties. MSCs can sense and assess the stiffness of extracellular substrates through the process of mechanotransduction. Through this process, the extracellular matrix can govern and direct MSCs’ lineage commitment through complex intracellular pathways. Hence, various biomimetic natural and synthetic polymeric matrices of tunable stiffness were developed and further investigated to mimic the MSCs’ native tissues. Customizing scaffold materials to mimic cells’ natural environment is of utmost importance during the process of tissue engineering. This review aims to highlight the regulato...
Tissue engineering applications need a continuous development of new biomaterials able to generate an ideal cell– extracellular matrix interaction. The stem cell fate is regulated by several factors, such as growth factors or transcription factors. The most recent literature has reported several publications able to demonstrate that environmental factors also contribute to the regulation of stem cell behavior, leading to the opinion that the environment plays the major role in the cell differentiation. The interaction between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and extracellular environment has been widely described, and it has a crucial role in regulating the cell phenotype. In our laboratory (Tecnologica Research Institute, Crotone, Italy), we have recently studied how several physical factors influence the distribution and the morphology of MSCs isolated from dental pulp, and how they are able to regulate stem cell differentiation. Mechanical and geometrical factors are only a small part of the environmental factors able to influence stem cell behavior, however, this influence should be properly known: in fact, this assumption must be clearly considered during those studies involving MSCs; furthermore, these interactions should be considered as an important bias that involves an high number of studies on the MSCs, since in worldwide laboratories the scientists mostly use tissue culture plates for their experiments.
PloS one, 2017
Stem cell fate has been linked to the mechanical properties of their underlying substrate, affecting mechanoreceptors and ultimately leading to downstream biological response. Studies have used polymers to mimic the stiffness of extracellular matrix as well as of individual tissues and shown mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be directed along specific lineages. In this study, we examined the role of stiffness in MSC differentiation to two closely related cell phenotypes: osteoblast and chondrocyte. We prepared four methyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate (MA/MMA) polymer surfaces with elastic moduli ranging from 0.1 MPa to 310 MPa by altering monomer concentration. MSCs were cultured in media without exogenous growth factors and their biological responses were compared to committed chondrocytes and osteoblasts. Both chondrogenic and osteogenic markers were elevated when MSCs were grown on substrates with stiffness <10 MPa. Like chondrocytes, MSCs on lower stiffness substrates showe...
Data in brief, 2018
This article contains data related to the research article entitled "Stiffness memory of indirectly 3D-printed elastomer nanohybrid regulates chondrogenesis and osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells" [1] (Wu et al., 2018). Cells respond to the local microenvironment in a context dependent fashion and a continuous challenge is to provide a living construct that can adapt to the viscoelasticity changes of surrounding tissues. Several materials are attractive candidates to be used in tissue engineering, but conventional manufactured scaffolds are primarily static models with well-defined and stable stiffness that lack the dynamic biological nature required to undergo changes in substrate elasticity decisive in several cellular processes key during tissue development and wound healing. A family of poly (urea-urethane) (PUU) elastomeric nanohybrid scaffolds (PUU-POSS) with thermoresponsive mechanical properties that soften by reverse self-assembling at body temperature h...