Abstract
The design and fabrication of platforms reproducing the microenvironment in which the cells can properly acquire a specific fate is a decisive step towards the effective exploitation of stem cell-based nanomedicine. Indeed, the environments and the surfaces wherein the cells can attach, migrate and grow significantly affect stem cell differentiation to specific cell types. In this work, a new-concept bio-interface composed by hybrid eumelanin/graphene-like/titanium dioxide (EU/GL/TiO2) nanostructures has been prepared by an in situ solvothermal method with the aim to address those specific properties to sustain survival and growth of stem cells as well as to stimulate their differentiation. Information on the chemical and structural properties of both the organic and inorganic components constituting the hybrid nanomaterial was achieved by different analytical techniques (XRD, FTIR, EPR, TGA, SEM, AFM) while the ability of EU/GL/TiO2 interface to support stem cell adhesion, growth and proliferation was probed by in vitro tests with mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). In the end, specific in vitro tests demonstrated that the prepared platform efficiently supports the differentiation of mESCs into beating cardiomyocytes and neuronal cells. The tests demonstrated that EU/GL/TiO2 holds those bio-physicochemical characteristics to prospectively act as a bio-interface. Furthermore, its chemical composition represents a perspective starting point to subsequently explore the decoration with inductive cues that can be released upon external stimuli to drive the growth and differentiation of neurons and beating cardiomyocytes.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.