Bio-electrospraying of human mesenchymal stem cells: An alternative for tissue engineering

Abstract

Bio-electrospraying (BES) is a technique used for the processing of cells and can be applied to tissue engineering. The association of BES with scaffold production techniques has been shown to be an interesting strategy for the production of biomaterials with cells homogeneously distributed in the entire structure. Various studies have evaluated the effects of BES on different cell types. However, until the present moment, no studies have evaluated the impact of BES time on mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Therefore, the aim of this work was to standardise the different parameters of BES (voltage, flow rate, and distance of the needle from the collecting plate) in relation to cell viability and then to evaluate the impact of BES time in relation to viability, proliferation, DNA damage, maintenance of plasticity and the immunophenotypic profile of MSC. Using 15 kV voltage, 0.46 ml/h flow rate and 4 cm distance, it was possible to form a stable and continuous jet of BES without causing a significant reduction in cell viability. Time periods between 15 and 60 min of BES did not cause alterations of viability, proliferation, plasticity, and immunophenotypic profile of the MSC. Time periods above 30 min of BES resulted in DNA damage; however, the DNA was able to repair itself within five hours. These results indicate that bio-electrospraying is an adequate technique for processing MSC which can be safely applied to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Association of electrospinning with electrospraying: a strategy to produce 3D scaffolds with incorporated stem cells for use in tissue engineering

“…The electrostatic repulsion between the positive charges present in the needles used in polymer electrospinning and the cell electrospraying syringes was probably the cause of the displacement of the bioelectrospraying jet away from the Petri dish. This observation is corroborated by the fact that when just the bioelectrospraying was conducted in a previous study, 14 cell recovery was about 83%. The effect was also observed by Stankus et al 10 In their work, the repulsion from Coulombic forces caused a small area of electrospinning and electrospraying convergence.…”

“…In a previous study, 14 the concentration of 3×10 6 cells/mL was used to conduct the standardization of bioelectrospraying parameters. However, when the bioelectrospraying was associated with electrospinning, suspensions with low cell concentrations yielded SCCs with poor cellular densities.…”

“…10,11 Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells with great plasticity, which secrete different bioactive factors that can assist in the regeneration process at the tissue injury site. 12,13 In a previous study, 14 our group demonstrated that MSCs can be safely electrosprayed, subject to compliance of the applied voltage and time of electrospraying processing.…”

Living Cell Factories ‐ Electrosprayed Microcapsules and Microcarriers for Minimally Invasive Delivery

“…Sahoo et al demonstrated bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) electrosprayed at 7.5kV retain their multipotency and differentiate into adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic lineages although cell viability decreased with increasing applied voltages [16] . Furthermore, other studies focusing on applied voltage, needle diameter, polymer concentration and cell density effects confirm that the EHD processing technique does not impose detrimental effects on cell viability [13b, 16] , and that applied voltages between 0kV and 20kV as well as flow rate had no obvious effect on human stem cell survival [17] . To this end, fabricated functional living constructs may be explored for repair and replacement of damaged or degenerating tissues or organs, and/or for delivery of personalised medicines in a controlled and localised manner.…”

Pharmaceutical Applications of Electrospraying

“…In other studies, BES was used to process mesenchymal stem cells and human adipose-derived stem cells. 170,171 In both cases, the viability and proliferative capacity of electrosprayed cells remained intact compared to that of the controls (without undergoing electrical stress) as no changes in cellular metabolism, plasticity, or immunophenotypic profile were observed, although a breakdown of cellular DNA was detected in case of mesenchymal stem cells. However, the exact reason for the damage is still not clear, although genotoxic effects of electromagnetic fields could be a possible cause.…”