Scaffolding with Stem Cells

TABLE 7.3 Some biodegradable polymer nanofiber scaffolds supporting stem cell growth 

Polymer Solvent Fiber d (nm) Stem Cell Reference 

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Stem Cell-Scaffold Systems. Stem cells, also known as progenitor cells, are pluripotent cells with the ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types. The most widely stored stem cell is the mesenchymal stem cell (MSQ derived from bone marrow. In the embryo, these cells give rise to skeletal tissues, including bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, marrow stroma, adipocytes, dermis, muscle, and connective tissue (Caplan, 1991). 

Steffens, D., Eersch, M., Rosa, A., Scher, C., Crestani, T., Morais, M.G. et al. (2013) A new biomaterial of nanofibers with the microalga Spirulina as scaffolds to cultivate with stem cells for use in tissue engineering. J. Biomed. Nanotechnol, 9 (4), 710-718. 

Scaffolds have been used successfully in cardiac repair, especially in conjunction with stem cells. A scaffold seeded with stem cells may be implanted directly into a heart valve, roughly at the site where a cardiac infarction has occurred. The scaffold then directs the growing cells toward the injured area and facilitates regeneration of damaged tissue. 

Commercial PUs have also been studied for use with stem cell culture. Eor instance, electrospun commercial PU (Desmopan 9370A) scaffolds were fabricated with... 

In an attempt to mimic the physiological ratio of collagen type II to hyaluronan in the healthy human NP, Calderon et al. constructed hydrogels scaffolds composed of these two elements in a 9 1 (w/w) ratio [104]. Scaffolds were crosslinked with various concentrations of EDC/NHS, but it was found that 8 mM EDC/NHS resulted in a confined compressive modulus on the order of the native NP, while allowing for optimal rat mesenchymal stem cell (rMSC) viability and proliferation. Additionally, real time PCR results from rMSCs seeded on the scaffolds for 21 days indicated that the scaffolds promoted increased aggrecan expression and inhibited collagen type I expression compared to rMSCs cultured on monolayers. 

Fig. 4 Insert Representative macroscopic image of an APNP hydrogel scaffold seeded with human adipose-derived stem cells following 7 days of culture in a 12-well plate. Graph Osmotic swelling pressure profile of APNP hydrogel scaffolds (green-squares) compared to human NP (orange-triangles and red-diamonds) values found in the literature [28]...

Park, K.I., Teng, Y.D., Snyder, E.Y. (2002). The injured brain interacts reciprocally with neural stem cells supported by scaffolds to reconstitute lost tissue. Nat Biotechnol, 20, 1111-7. 

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