Looking into the Future: Toward Advanced 3D Biomaterials for Stem‐Cell‐Based Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

Stem-cell-based therapies have the potential to provide novel solutions for the treatment of a variety of diseases, but the main obstacles to such therapies lie in the uncontrolled differentiation and functional engraftment of implanted tissues. The physicochemical microenvironment controls the self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells, and the key step in mimicking the stem cell microenvironment is to construct a more physiologically relevant 3D culture system. Material-based 3D assemblies of stem cells facilitate the cellular interactions that promote morphogenesis and tissue organization in a similar manner to that which occurs during embryogenesis. Both natural and artificial materials can be used to create 3D scaffolds, and synthetic organic and inorganic porous materials are the two main kinds of artificial materials. Nanotechnology provides new opportunities to design novel advanced materials with special physicochemical properties for 3D stem cell culture and transplantation. Herein, the advances and advantages of 3D scaffold materials, especially with respect to stem-cell-based therapies, are first outlined. Second, the stem cell biology in 3D scaffold materials is reviewed. Third, the progress and basic principles of developing 3D scaffold materials for clinical applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are reviewed.

Biomimetic Composite Scaffolds to Manipulate Stem Cells for Aiding Rheumatoid Arthritis Management

“…These results are attributed to the fact that the basic composition of self‐healing hydrogels is biocompatible polysaccharide, which is a well‐known biocompatible natural material. The biodegradability of 3D cell culture scaffolds is another crucial requirement for bone tissue regeneration . In vitro degradation ability of self‐healing hydrogels was studied by measuring changes in dry weight under physiological conditions.…”

“…In order to better control the self‐renewal and differentiation of stem cells, some natural and artificial 3D scaffolds are being explored for RA treatment . However, most of the current scaffolds suffer from poor mechanical properties, difficulty in modification and biodegradation, as well as low hydrophilicity . Obviously, these intrinsic shortcomings of scaffolds are detrimental to the behavior of stem cells and make them difficult to assist in RA treatment for a long time.…”

Bottom-up approaches in synthetic biology and biomaterials for tissue engineering applications

“…Specifically, we examine how these domains/modules can build instructive environments for stem cells to receive timely extrinsic signals for improving differentiation outcomes. Many reviews have been published summarizing how biomaterial scaffolds have been used for tissue engineering applications [199, 93, 200, 201, 113]. Here, we discuss how taking a bottom-up approach to assemble modular protein domains within biomaterial scaffolds will enable the construction of complex cell-responsive extracellular matrices for directing cell fate decisions.…”

The Investigation of a Multi‐Functional Peptide as Gelator, Dyes Separation Agent and Metal Ions Adsorbent

“…The scaffold of gel can be formed by various of gelators, among which, peptides are a kind of rising materials for the fabrication of gels because of their biocompatibility and their molecule structures can be rationally designed . Large numbers of peptide gels have been reported for the functions of tissue engineering, nanoreactors, drug delivery vehicle, antibacterial agent and regenerative medicine . Phenylalanine‐phenylalanine (FF) dipeptide is usually used as the core recognition of the β‐amyloid fiber and may be the simplest peptide with kinds of self‐assembled structures driven by the π‐π stacking interaction between the benzene rings .…”

“…[4][5][6] Large numbers of peptide gels have been reported for the functions of tissue engineering, nanoreactors, drug delivery vehicle, antibacterial agent and regenerative medicine. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Phenylalanine-phenylalanine (FF) dipeptide is usually used as the core recognition of the β-amyloid fiber and may be the simplest peptide with kinds of self-assembled structures driven by the π-π stacking interaction between the benzene rings. [22,23] However, most of the peptides consisting of FF can hardly dissolve in water.…”