Hydrogels are reported to have various biomedical field applications, and many reports also suggest that soft gels promote stem cell differentiation. Chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) is significant in articular cartilage repair. This study focuses on polysaccharide-based hydrogels which enhance chondrocyte lineage differentiation of MSC when grown in the hydrogels. This study implies that the prepared hydrogels promote specific lineage without any external chemical induction factors. The techniques, including immunofluorescence and functional assays to assess the differentiation and in vivo implantation, were employed. All observations paved the way towards confirmation that the galactoxyloglucan-based hydrogel is an attractive candidate for supporting stem cell growth and cartilaginous differentiation.
The combination of desirable polymer properties and methods for synthesis, utilizing materials with various architectures, could be adopted for diverse clinical applications such as wound healing as well as stem cell differentiation. Natural polymers, particularly polysaccharides, are biocompatible and are reported to have structural similarities with extracellular matrix components. In this scenario, the present study fabricated a porous scaffold using a polysaccharide, galactoxyloglucan, isolated from Tamarind seed kernel, and studied its applications in stem cell attachment and wound healing. In-growth of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) presented a rounded morphology with increased proliferation. Scaffolds were surface-functionalized with silver nanoparticles to increase the antibacterial activity and the wound healing potential evaluated in preclinical mouse models. The current study provides an insight into how stem cells attach and grow in a naturally derived low-cost polysaccharide scaffold with antibacterial, biocompatible, and biodegradable properties.
Nanofibers and hydrogels are two forms of biomaterial scaffolds that have different properties and different applications. Polysaccharides have been used for the preparation of both scaffolds due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, our main objective was to compare the tumor cell growth and tumor reduction potential of drug‐loaded scaffolds. This was achieved using different methods for cell proliferation, epithelial–mesenchymal Transition studies, and biomarker expression‐related assays. Anticancer drug doxorubicin was loaded to the scaffolds using adsorption and in vitro and in vivo tumor reduction was also performed. Results showed that both scaffolds supported the growth of cancer cells but did not promote epithelial‐mesenchymal transition. A significant difference in drug release was observed and this may have influenced the in vivo tumor reduction. A fast release of the drug and higher tumor‐reducing potential was observed for hydrogel. The studies confirmed that different types of scaffolds have different properties. Biomedical applications related to the structure can be dissimilar in different scenarios.
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