Mesenchymal stem cell cultivation in electrospun scaffolds: mechanistic modeling for tissue engineering

Abstract

Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field of research in which the cells, biomaterials, and processes can be optimized to develop a tissue substitute. Three-dimensional (3D) architectural features from electrospun scaffolds, such as porosity, tortuosity, fiber diameter, pore size, and interconnectivity have a great impact on cell behavior. Regarding tissue development in vitro, culture conditions such as pH, osmolality, temperature, nutrient, and metabolite concentrations dictate cell viability inside the constructs. The effect of different electrospun scaffold properties, bioreactor designs, mesenchymal stem cell culture parameters, and seeding techniques on cell behavior can be studied individually or combined with phenomenological modeling techniques. This work reviews the main culture and scaffold factors that affect tissue development in vitro regarding the culture of cells inside 3D matrices. The mathematical modeling of the relationship between these factors and cell behavior inside 3D constructs has also been critically reviewed, focusing on mesenchymal stem cell culture in electrospun scaffolds.

Zein/gelatin/nanohydroxyapatite nanofibrous scaffolds are biocompatible and promote osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells

“…Pore size is connected with the attachment, proliferation and infiltration of cells in tissue scaffolds. [33][34][35] The optimal pore size approximates the diameter of cells. 33 A small pore size limits the infiltration and ingrowth of cells into the nanofibers, whereas a large pore size prevents cell attachment due to an insufficient surface area.…”

“…[33][34][35] The optimal pore size approximates the diameter of cells. 33 A small pore size limits the infiltration and ingrowth of cells into the nanofibers, whereas a large pore size prevents cell attachment due to an insufficient surface area. 36,37 Nowadays, there are many novel techniques for optimizing the pore size to improve the effectiveness of biomaterials such as the sacrificial fibres and the 3D gradient pore scaffolds.…”

Cellular Response to Surface Morphology: Electrospinning and Computational Modeling

“…In vitro and in vivo studies are incredibly beneficial to collect data and results on how artificially created micro- and nano-features perform in realistic applications (Tables 1 , 2 ). The underlying mechanisms of cell-material interactions are only partially understood and further investigations are required to define the best scaffold design for promoting the regeneration of a target tissue (Kennedy et al, 2017 ; Paim et al, 2018 ). However, time and cost requirements for in vitro and in vivo tests pose limitations on the use of and reliance on experimental studies alone, together with ethical issues when animal models are concerned.…”

Characterization of Biological Properties of Dental Pulp Stem Cells Grown on an Electrospun Poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone) Scaffold

“…Generally, the mesenchymal stem cells isolated from bone marrow (BM-MSCs) are the main source of cells for bone tissue engineering, but there still exist concerns regarding their osteogenic efficiency [ 1 ]. Moreover, the isolation of autologous stem cells from bone marrow is an invasive and painful procedure, so they have limited clinical application for tissue engineering [ 8 , 10 , 11 ].…”