Materials for Neural Differentiation, Trans‐Differentiation, and Modeling of Neurological Disease

Abstract

Neuron regeneration from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) differentiation or somatic cells trans-differentiation is a promising approach for cell replacement in neurodegenerative diseases and provides a powerful tool for investigating neural development, modeling neurological diseases, and uncovering the mechanisms that underlie diseases. Advancing the materials that are applied in neural differentiation and trans-differentiation promotes the safety, efficiency, and efficacy of neuron regeneration. In the neural differentiation process, matrix materials, either natural or synthetic, not only provide a structural and biochemical support for the monolayer or three-dimensional (3D) cultured cells but also assist in cell adhesion and cell-to-cell communication. They play important roles in directing the differentiation of PSCs into neural cells and modeling neurological diseases. For the trans-differentiation of neural cells, several materials have been used to make the conversion feasible for future therapy. Here, the most current applications of materials for neural differentiation for PSCs, neuronal trans-differentiation, and neurological disease modeling is summarized and discussed.

Effective Modulation of CNS Inhibitory Microenvironment using Bioinspired Hybrid‐Nanoscaffold‐Based Therapeutic Interventions

“…[8,14] However, currently, there is a lack of reliable methods to produce the desired biomimetic ordered 3D porous structures from biodegradable 2D MnO 2 nanomaterials without compromising their chemical stability, biocompatibility, and bioactivity. [8,9,15,16] Inspired by a conventional electrostatic LBL technique as well as recent advancement of diffusion-driven 3D assembly of graphene nanosheets, we developed a synthetic route to generate our 3D-BPH nanoscaffolds from a biodegradable 2D nanomaterial (i.e., MnO 2 nanosheets) and a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)approved cationic polymer (i.e., chitosan), as a means to provide a clinically-relevant nanomaterial-based bioscaffold (Figure 2a). [17] More specifically, 2D-MnO 2 nanosheets were first generated through liquid exfoliation ( Figure S1, Supporting Information).…”

“…[6][7][8] Despite their huge potential, limited success in the clinical translation of nano/biomaterials has been achieved. [3,9] This could be largely attributed to the dynamic and complex nature of the neuroinhibitory microenvironment. [10] For instance, recent evidence strongly suggests that targeting neuroinflammation or inhibitory ECM components alone is insufficient to promote motor function recovery after CNS injuries, but few biomaterials have successfully targeted both inhibitory factors.…”

High‐Throughput Screening and Hierarchical Topography‐Mediated Neural Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…[ 1 ] To overcome this, directed differentiation of stem cells into neurons has been developed for cell replacement therapy. [ 2–5 ] Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with self‐renewal capacity and the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types, [ 6 ] for instance, osteogenic, [ 7 ] adipogenic, [ 8 ] chondrogenic, [ 9 ] and neurogenic [ 10 ] lineages, which hold tremendous promise for the field of regenerative medicine. [ 11 ] Therefore, precise control over the differentiation process is critical for the development of therapeutic approaches.…”

Ascorbic Acid Can Promote the Generation and Expansion of Neuroepithelial-Like Stem Cells Derived from HiPS/ES Cells Under Chemically Defined Conditions Through Promoting Collagen Synthesis

“…They are a fairly homogeneous population of undifferentiated cells with the ability to continuously expand and stably produce functional neurons and glial [21]. The most common method to generate lt-NES cells is to pre-coat the culture plates with basement membrane preparations rich in extracellular matrix (ECM), like laminin [35], fibronectin, gelatin [36], and Matrigel [37]. However, Ascorbic acid (AA) is widely known as an essential nutrient for guinea pigs and primates [38,39].…”