Modulation of stem cells behavior through bioactive surfaces

Abstract

Stem cells have been investigated for the treatment of diseases and the regeneration of tissues where complex surgical treatments or tissue transplantation is far from success. The current research on stem cell-based therapies relies on controlling their potency and self-renewal capacity, to provide new insights into their application in clinics. Stem cells’ properties such as migration, proliferation, viability, and differentiation are highly dependent on their surrounding environment. In this sense, the use of surfaces with precise architecture and textures has been demonstrated to modulate their behavior. The fabrication of such materials is accomplished using advanced techniques such as lithography, micro/nanopatterning, electrospinning, microfluidics, and bottom-up/top-down approaches. For poor or non-adhesive surfaces, fabrication technologies may profit with biochemical functionalization to present specific physical cues to cells. An example is the use of calcium phosphates coating [1, 2] or adhesive motifs grafting. Overall, the goal of these approaches is to provide platforms that mimic the extracellular matrix environment for stem cells integration. Playing with the available materials and techniques, embryonic and adult stem cells have cartilage, cardiac, connective and nervous tissue regeneration. Some of these were already tested in animal models with very promising results that may be explored for the development of next-generation surfaces for regenerative medicine. In summary, the focus of this chapter is on the current fabrication strategies used for the development of bio-inspired patterned substrates and their potential in guiding stem cell behavior in a tissue-engineering context.