Poly(ε-Caprolactone)–Carbon Nanotube Composite Scaffolds for Enhanced Cardiac Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Abstract

Aim To evaluate the efficacy of electrically conductive, biocompatible composite scaffolds in modulating the cardiomyogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Materials & methods Electrospun scaffolds of poly(ε-caprolactone) with or without carbon nanotubes were developed to promote the in vitro cardiac differentiation of hMSCs. Results Results indicate that hMSC differentiation can be enhanced by either culturing in electrically conductive, carbon nanotube-containing composite scaffolds without electrical stimulation in the presence of 5-azacytidine, or extrinsic electrical stimulation in nonconductive poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds without carbon nanotube and azacytidine. Conclusion This study suggests a first step towards improving hMSC cardiomyogenic differentiation for local delivery into the infarcted myocardium.

Fibers for hearts: A critical review on electrospinning for cardiac tissue engineering

“…Based on these studies Crowder et al proposed the addition of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in PCL [134]. This way the conductivity was up to 35 mS/cm, depending on the composition.…”

Optimization of electrospun fibrous membranes for in vitro modeling of blood-brain barrier

“…Membranes only and membranes coated with purified type I collagen were secured into snapwell inserts. 10 5 TIME cells were seeded onto each membrane and grown for 6 days. TEER was measured every 2 days after 48 hours from seeding.…”

“…PEG is a biocompatible, hydrophilic polymer that can repel protein and cells [9]. In our previous studies we showed that physicochemical, mechanical, and bioactive properties of electrospun fiber scaffolds can be tuned to promote cell growth and differentiation by combining these two components with different mole percentages [10,11].…”

Carbon nanotube-based substrates promote cardiogenesis in brown adipose-derived stem cells via β1-integrin-dependent TGF-β1 signaling pathway

“…18 In brief, the total protein of the cell-scaffold constructs was prepared using lysis buffer (Tiandz, Beijing, People's Republic of China). For determination of Western blotting by SDS-PAGE, 100 µg total protein was separated by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, and anti-α-SA (Abcam), anti-β1-integrin (Abcam), anti-phospho-Smad 2 (Cell Signaling Technology, Beverly, MA, USA), and anti-Smad 2 antibodies (Cell Signaling Technology) were used to incubate the polyvinylidene difluoride membrane with total protein.…”

“…Poly(ε-caprolactone)-CNT composite scaffolds have been confirmed to enhance the adhesion and cardiac differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. 18 Numerous reports have shown that CNTs exert beneficial impacts on lineage specification of stem cells; nevertheless, the definite role of CNTs in regulation of cardiac differentiation of BASCs, and especially the underlying molecular mechanism, has not yet been revealed. Unveiling these events is a key step necessary for the application of CNTs in clinical scenarios for cardiac regeneration.…”