Surface functionalization of nanobiomaterials for application in stem cell culture, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine

Abstract

Stem cell-based approaches offer great application potential in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine owing to their ability of sensing the microenvironment and respond accordingly (dynamic behavior). Recently, the combination of nanobiomaterials with stem cells has paved a great way for further exploration. Nanobiomaterials with engineered surfaces could mimic the native microenvironment to which the seeded stem cells could adhere and migrate. Surface functionalized nanobiomaterial-based scaffolds could then be used to regulate or control the cellular functions to culture stem cells and regenerate damaged tissues or organs. Therefore, controlling the interactions between nanobiomaterials and stem cells is a critical factor. However, surface functionalization or modification techniques has provided an alternative approach for tailoring the nanobiomaterials surface in accordance to the physiological surrounding of a living cells; thereby, enhancing the structural and functional properties of the engineered tissues and organs. Currently, there are a variety of methods and technologies available to modify the surface of biomaterials according to the specific cell or tissue properties to be regenerated. This review highlights the trends in surface modification techniques for nanobiomaterials and the biological relevance in stem cell-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:554-567, 2016.

Controlling Cell Behavior through the Design of Biomaterial Surfaces: A Focus on Surface Modification Techniques

“…A simple physical adsorption method is limited as the cell adhesion molecules might be detached from the surface and results in adverse repercussions on cell adhesion, growth, and differentiation . Moreover, lack of controllability on the orientation of adsorbed cell‐adhesive biomolecules is another drawback that highly decreases the efficiency of this method . Chen et al investigated the effects of physical adsorption and covalent attachment of laminin molecules on the surface of electrospun silica nanofibrous scaffolds (SNF2) .…”

The Role of Controlled Surface Topography and Chemistry on Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Attachment, Growth and Self-Renewal

“…Our results are in good agreement with other studies indicating that the chemical and mechanical unfolding of proteins can lead to very different denaturation states [ 44 , 45 ]. Modifying culture substrates with extracellular matrix proteins to direct stem cell migration and differentiation is a vibrant field of research [ 46 ], mainly due to the fact that we still lack ways to control the orientation, conformation, and denaturation states of adsorbed proteins [ 47 ]. Using these results, we could design specific culture surfaces either to promote mES cell self-renewal to provide sufficient numbers of cells to be therapeutically relevant, or to drive differentiation of the cells for a specific application.…”

Fabrication and Plasma Surface Activation of Aligned Electrospun PLGA Fiber Fleeces with Improved Adhesion and Infiltration of Amniotic Epithelial Stem Cells Maintaining their Teno-inductive Potential

“…Many authors have chosen to functionalize the electrospun scaffolds and modify their surfaces by blending the polymer solution with bioactive molecules prior to electrospinning [ 19 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Others have used a wet chemistry surface modification approach to functionalize electrospun scaffolds by immersing them into harsh chemicals such as strong acids or alkalis [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ] in which hydroxyl or carboxyl groups are formed by hydrolyses of ester bonds. Although this treatment has shown to improve hydrophilic properties of the scaffolds with an improvement in cell adhesion and spreading [ 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ], treated materials exhibited a strong shrinkage and the fibers lost their alignment with a decrease in the Young’s modulus properties by using a high NaOH concentration [ 38 ].…”