3D Spatiotemporal Mechanical Microenvironment: A Hydrogel‐Based Platform for Guiding Stem Cell Fate

Abstract

Stem cells hold great promise for widespread biomedical applications, for which stem cell fate needs to be well tailored. Besides biochemical cues, accumulating evidence has demonstrated that spatiotemporal biophysical cues (especially mechanical cues) imposed by cell microenvironments also critically impact on the stem cell fate. As such, various biomaterials, especially hydrogels due to their tunable physicochemical properties and advanced fabrication approaches, are developed to spatiotemporally manipulate biophysical cues in vitro so as to recapitulate the 3D mechanical microenvironment where stem cells reside in vivo. Here, the main mechanical cues that stem cells experience in their native microenvironment are summarized. Then, recent advances in the design of hydrogel materials with spatiotemporally tunable mechanical properties for engineering 3D the spatiotemporal mechanical microenvironment of stem cells are highlighted. These in vitro engineered spatiotemporal mechanical microenvironments are crucial for guiding stem cell fate and their potential biomedical applications are subsequently discussed. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives are presented.

Polyamide/PEG Blends as Biocompatible Biomaterials for the Convenient Regulation of Cell Adhesion and Growth

“…Diverse films and fiber architectures can be applied as scaffolds for tissue engineering, mainly by means of influencing and directing cell adhesion, viability, differentiation, and behavior . In addition, polymers could also be fabricated into 3D hydrogels with porous architectures that were used as cell microenvironment for many biomedical applications including stem cell‐based therapy, pathophysiological studies, and drug screening . Also time could be integrated with 3D bioprinting as the fourth dimension (“4D bioprinting”), leading to printed objects that can change their shapes or functionalities when an external stimulus is imposed or when cell fusion or post‐printing self‐assembly occurs …”

Bioengineered microenvironment to culture early embryos

“…1 The mechanical properties such as the stiffness of the hydrogels around the cells can regulate the development of the cells. 94,113 Micropipette aspiration can be used to determine the tensions of cells in the embryo. 95 Using 2D models, researchers can use micropatterning to control the self-assembly of stem cells.…”

Warp-Knitted Spacer Fabrics: A Versatile Platform to Generate Fiber-Reinforced Hydrogels for 3D Tissue Engineering

“…Numerous studies have described the biochemical and biophysical properties of hydrogels and their excellent ability to mimic the cell physiological microenvironment [16]. In particular, the effect of spatiotemporal modulated mechanics on stem cell fate is in the focus of attention [17]. However, hydrogels lack mechanical strength and stability.…”