Biophysical and Biochemical Cues of Biomaterials Guide Mesenchymal Stem Cell Behaviors.

Jianjun Li,Xingyu Yuan,Yufan Liu,Wei Song,Sha Huang,Yuzhen Wang,Zhao Li,Enhejirigala Enhejirigala,Xiaobing Fu,Bin Yao,Xianlan Duan,Yijie Zhang

doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.640388

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely used in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to their self-renewal capabilities and multipotential differentiation assurance. However, capitalizing on specific factors to precisely guide MSC behaviors is the cornerstone of biomedical applications. Fortunately, several key biophysical and biochemical cues of biomaterials that can synergistically regulate cell behavior have paved the way for the development of cell-instructive biomaterials that serve as delivery vehicles for promoting MSC application prospects. Therefore, the identification of these cues in guiding MSC behavior, including cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation, may be of particular importance for better clinical performance. This review focuses on providing a comprehensive and systematic understanding of biophysical and biochemical cues, as well as the strategic engineering of these signals in current scaffold designs, and we believe that integrating biophysical and biochemical cues in next-generation biomaterials would potentially help functionally regulate MSCs for diverse applications in regenerative medicine and cell therapy in the future.

Highlights

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received increasing attention in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering due to their high self-renewal ability and multipotential differentiation lineage, as well as accessibility
We propose that a deep understanding of various factors of biomaterials is of great significance to better release the potential of MSCs in tissue engineering, and the precise integration of cues according to the needs of different target tissues can open up new avenue for future MSC-based therapy
We believe that the development of the biomaterial for regenerative medicine needs to be combined with multidisciplinary research progress, and the biophysical and biochemical factors used to regulate MSC behaviors must be precisely integrated and adjusted according to the needs of the repair area

Summary

Introduction

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received increasing attention in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering due to their high self-renewal ability and multipotential differentiation lineage, as well as accessibility. Those results demonstrated that the stiffness of matrix can functionally regulate the behavior of MSCs, and the cells tend to exhibit corresponding morphology, proliferation rate, and differentiation lineages when they are cultured on substrate with similar stiffness to their native niches.

Results

Conclusion