Mesenchymal Cell Growth and Differentiation on a New Biocomposite Material: A Promising Model for Regeneration Therapy.

Leslie Pomeraniec,Dafna Benayahu

doi:10.3390/biom10030458

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells serve as the body’s reservoir for healing and tissue regeneration. In cases of severe tissue trauma where there is also a need for tissue organization, a scaffold may be of use to support the cells in the damaged tissue. Such a scaffold should be composed of a material that can biomimic the mechanical and biological properties of the target tissues in order to support autologous cell-adhesion, their proliferation, and differentiation. In this study, we developed and assayed a new biocomposite made of unique collagen fibers and alginate hydrogel that was assessed for the ability to support mesenchymal cell-proliferation and differentiation. Analysis over 11 weeks in vitro demonstrated that the scaffold was biocompatible and supports the cells viability and differentiation to produce tissue-like structures or become adipocyte under differentiation medium. When the biocomposite was enriched with nano particles (NPs), mesenchymal cells grew well after uptake of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled NPs, maintained their viability, migrated through the biocomposite, reached, and adhered to the tissue culture dish. These promising findings revealed that the scaffold supports the growth and differentiation of mesenchymal cells that demonstrate their full physiological function with no sign of material toxicity. The cells’ functionality performance indicates and suggests that the scaffold is suitable to be developed as a new medical device that has the potential to support regeneration and the production of functional tissue.

Highlights

Tissue regeneration relies on the differentiation of stem cells, tissue does not always spontaneously recover after trauma
Scaffolds are designed to serve as a temporary structure for cells to promote tissue regeneration at injured sites and to support cells during the repair process
Cells growing on the biocomposite interacted with the altered niches that proposed combined alginate and collagen fibers, and reacted respectively: cells in contact with collagen fibers became elongated, whereas those growing in low-stiffness alginate observed with a circular morphology (Figure 2C)

Summary

Introduction

Tissue regeneration relies on the differentiation of stem cells, tissue does not always spontaneously recover after trauma. In such cases, there is a need to aid tissue-repair by introducing a scaffold to promote cell growth and differentiation. Tissue-engineered scaffolds are designed to mimic the structure of organs and enable controlling the physical properties of the scaffold material. The aim of this approach is to avoid the use of autologous grafts, which are limited by the availability of the patient’s own tissue and avoid an additional surgical procedures. Since synthetic polymers do not integrate with the body and may trigger an immune response and chronic inflammation [1], the use of biocompatible natural materials as a scaffold material is considered beneficial

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion