Abstract
Modern innovation in reconstructive medicine implies the proposition of material-based strategies suitable for tissue repair and regeneration. The development of such systems necessitates the design of advanced materials and the control of their interactions with their surrounding cellular and molecular microenvironments. Biomaterials must actively engage cellular matter to direct and modulate biological responses at implant sites and beyond. Indeed, it is essential that a true dialogue exists between the implanted device and the cells. Biomaterial engineering implies the knowledge and control of cell fate considering the globality of the adhesion process, from initial cell attachment to differentiation. The extracellular matrix (ECM) represents a complex microenvironment able to meet these essential needs to establish a relationship between the material and the contacting cells. The ECM exhibits specific physical, chemical, and biochemical characteristics. Considering the complexity, heterogeneity, and versatility of ECM actors, fibronectin (Fn) has emerged among the ECM protagonists as the most pertinent representative key actor. The following review focuses on and synthesizes the research supporting the potential to use Fn in biomaterial functionalization to mimic the ECM and enhance cell–material interactions.
Highlights
Facing the challenge of increasing needs for the reparation of the human body and emerging innovative strategies to realize the modern concepts of regenerative and reconstructive medicine, many medical devices have been proposed by the scientific community
Throughout the overall cell-adhesion process, from the initial phase of the cell-contacting response to later cell actions, such as differentiation, the different phases of a cell’s fate must be taken into consideration. This cell–material relationship is controlled and tuned by various parameters as following: (i) adhesion control influenced by physical characteristics such as the mechanical properties of the materials and their topography; (ii) chemical/biochemical molecular reactions mediated by the availability of growth-factor (GF) receptors, the actions of soluble factors, and the role of extracellular-matrix (ECM) protagonists
Secreted from cells and, in solution, organized as a compressed, soluble dimer connected by disulfide linkages, Fn is naturally stimulated in an active state by interactions between its integrin-affinity sequences and synergy domains of the integrin present on the cell surface
Summary
Facing the challenge of increasing needs for the reparation of the human body and emerging innovative strategies to realize the modern concepts of regenerative and reconstructive medicine, many medical devices have been proposed by the scientific community These are used in a wide range of clinical applications, and their performance is highly dependent on the nature of their surfaces and the latter’s interaction with defined proteins and cells. Throughout the overall cell-adhesion process, from the initial phase of the cell-contacting response (i.e., cell attachment) to later cell actions, such as differentiation, the different phases of a cell’s fate must be taken into consideration This cell–material relationship is controlled and tuned by various parameters as following: (i) adhesion control influenced by physical characteristics such as the mechanical properties of the materials and their topography; (ii) chemical/biochemical molecular reactions mediated by the availability of growth-factor (GF) receptors, the actions of soluble factors, and the role of extracellular-matrix (ECM) protagonists. The aim of the following narrative review was to focus on the research supporting this crucial role of Fn in representing the ECM and to explore many of the versatile and predominant properties of biomaterials
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