Cell-derived extracellular matrices (CD-ECMs) captured increasing attention since the first studies in the 1980s. The biological resemblance of CD-ECMs to their in vivo counterparts and natural complexity provide them with a prevailing bioactivity. CD-ECMs offer the opportunity to produce microenvironments with costumizable biological and biophysical properties in a controlled setting. As a result, CD-ECMs can improve cellular functions such as stemness or be employed as a platform to study cellular niches in health and disease. Either on their own or integrated with other materials, CD-ECMs can also be utilized as biomaterials to engineer tissues de novo or facilitate endogenous healing and regeneration. This review provides a brief overview over the methodologies used to facilitate CD-ECM deposition and manufacturing. It explores the versatile uses of CD-ECM in fundamental research and therapeutic approaches, while highlighting innovative strategies. Furthermore, current challenges are identified and it is accentuated that advancements in methodologies, as well as innovative interdisciplinary approaches are needed to take CD-ECM-based research to the next level.

Many postsurgical complications stem from bacteria colony formation on the surface of implants, but the usage of antibiotic agents may cause antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, there is a strong demand for biocompatible materials with an intrinsic antibacterial resistance not requiring extraneous chemical agents. In this study, homogeneous nanocones were fabricated by oxygen plasma etching on the surface of natural, biocompatible Bombyx mori silk films. The new hydroxyl bonds formed on the surface of the nanopatterned film by plasma etching increased the surface energy by around 176%. This hydrophilic nanostructure reduced the bacterial attachment by more than 90% for both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria and at the same time improved the proliferation of osteoblast cells by 30%. The nanoengineered substrate and pristine silk were cultured for 6 h with three different bacteria concentrations of 107, 105, and 103 CFU mL–1 and the cell proliferation on the nanopatterned samples was significantly higher due to limited bacteria attachment and prevention of biofilm formation. The concept and materials described here reveal a promising alternative to produce biomaterials with an inherent biocompatibility and bacterial resistance simultaneously to mitigate postsurgical infections and minimize the use of antibiotics.

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