Engineered Biomaterials to Enhance Stem Cell‐Based Cardiac Tissue Engineering and Therapy

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide. Since adult cardiac cells are limited in their proliferation, cardiac tissue with dead or damaged cardiac cells downstream of the occluded vessel does not regenerate after myocardial infarction. The cardiac tissue is then replaced with nonfunctional fibrotic scar tissue rather than new cardiac cells, which leaves the heart weak. The limited proliferation ability of host cardiac cells has motivated investigators to research the potential cardiac regenerative ability of stem cells. Considerable progress has been made in this endeavor. However, the optimum type of stem cells along with the most suitable matrix-material and cellular microenvironmental cues are yet to be identified or agreed upon. This review presents an overview of various types of biofunctional materials and biomaterial matrices, which in combination with stem cells, have shown promises for cardiac tissue replacement and reinforcement. Engineered biomaterials also have applications in cardiac tissue engineering, in which tissue constructs are developed in vitro by combining stem cells and biomaterial scaffolds for drug screening or eventual implantation. This review highlights the benefits of using biomaterials in conjunction with stem cells to repair damaged myocardium and give a brief description of the properties of these biomaterials that make them such valuable tools to the field.

Morphological transformation of h BMSC from 2 D monolayer to 3 D microtissue on low‐crystallinity SF‐PCL patch with promotion of cardiomyogenesis

“…Bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) are capable of self‐renewal and multilineage differentiation and so have been extensively investigated in the field of regenerative medicine in relation to osteogenesis and cardiomyogenesis (Hasan et al, ; Smart & Riley, ). Recently, many researchers have examined the effects of the tissue and matrix microenvironments on the outcome of the differentiation of BMSC (Engler, Sen, Sweeney, & Discher, ; Higuchi, Ling, Chang, Hsu, & Umezawa, ).…”

Advances in osteobiologic materials for bone substitutes

“…In fact, somatic stem cells are regarded to be more limited whereas embryonic stem cells possess a broader possibility to differentiate into various cell lineages. To get more efficient differentiation rate of stem cells, several in vivo approaches for contributing factors have been developed (Gallacher et al, ; Hasan et al, ). Promising results were reported from fresh marrow cells or MSCs with porous ceramic in rat and canine segmental bone defect models (Arinzeh et al, ).…”

Titanium Nanorods Loaded PCL Meshes with Enhanced Blood Vessel Formation and Cell Migration for Wound Dressing Applications

“…Electrospinning is a simple and affordable technique for the fabrication of nanofibrous or microfibrous constructs having superior properties suitable for various biomedical applications . Electrospinning help to fabricate porous polymeric meshes that resemble the native architecture of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) .…”

“…Electrospinning is a simple and affordable technique for the fabrication of nanofibrous or microfibrous constructs having superior properties suitable for various biomedical applications. [3,4] Electrospinning help to fabricate porous polymeric meshes that resemble the native architecture of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). [5][6][7] In addition to the morphological similarity to ECM, electrospun meshes have remarkable advantages such as variable pore size, high surface area, and oxygen permeability that make them suitable for wound dressing applications.…”