How Mechanical and Physicochemical Material Characteristics Influence Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Fate

Abstract

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are a subpopulation of mesenchymal stem cells. Compared to bone marrow-derived stem cells, they can be harvested with minimal invasiveness. ASCs can be easily expanded and were shown to be able to differentiate into several clinically relevant cell types. Therefore, this cell type represents a promising component in various tissue engineering and medical approaches (e.g., cell therapy). In vivo cells are surrounded by the extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides a wide range of tissue-specific physical and chemical cues, such as stiffness, topography, and chemical composition. Cells can sense the characteristics of their ECM and respond to them in a specific cellular behavior (e.g., proliferation or differentiation). Thus, in vitro biomaterial properties represent an important tool to control ASCs behavior. In this review, we give an overview of the current research in the mechanosensing of ASCs and current studies investigating the impact of material stiffens, topography, and chemical modification on ASC behavior. Additionally, we outline the use of natural ECM as a biomaterial and its interaction with ASCs regarding cellular behavior.

Recent trends in bone tissue engineering: a review of materials, methods, and structures

“…Hence, not only is it necessary to understand these properties to prevent an immune response, but also it is essential to know that these properties transmit mechanical and chemical signals that induce cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation [173]. The designed microenvironment and corresponding properties can significantly affect the fate of stem cells and using said properties, it is possible to direct stem cells towards desired behavior [174,175]. Here, the most critical properties that can be used for manipulating the host response are discussed.…”

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells: Angiogenetic Potential and Utility in Tissue Engineering

“…ADSCs have also been shown to promote angiogenesis, which is crucial for supplying nutrients and oxygen to the healing or degenerative bone, or ADSCs may enhance the activity of bone marrow stem cells, encouraging in this way bone regeneration [135][136][137]. Even more, ADSCs can be combined with scaffold materials to promote bone growth and reduce immune responses in allotransplantation [138,139].…”

Finite Element Modeling of Cells Adhering to a Substrate: An Overview

“…The interaction between the cell and environment originating from cell-substrate contact is mediated by cell adhesion phenomena entailed in crucial cell mechanisms (e.g., motility and cellular life cycle phases from growth to differentiation) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The assembly of protein complexes called focal adhesions (FAs), deriving from early protein agglomerate at the lamellipodia-environment interface, allows cells to adhere to the underlying surface and carry on cellular activities triggered by cell-environment interaction [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27].…”