Micro- and Macrostructured PLGA/Gelatin Scaffolds Promote Early Cardiogenic Commitment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Vitro.
The biomaterial scaffold plays a key role in most tissue engineering strategies. Its surface properties, micropatterning, degradation, and mechanical features affect not only the generation of the tissue construct in vitro, but also its in vivo functionality. The area of myocardial tissue engineering still faces significant difficulties and challenges in the design of bioactive scaffolds, which allow composition variation to accommodate divergence in the evolving myocardial structure. Here we aimed at verifying if a microstructured bioartificial scaffold alone can provoke an effect on stem cell behavior. To this purpose, we fabricated microstructured bioartificial polymeric constructs made of PLGA/gelatin mimicking anisotropic structure and mechanical properties of the myocardium. We found that PLGA/gelatin scaffolds promoted adhesion, elongation, ordered disposition, and early myocardial commitment of human mesenchymal stem cells suggesting that these constructs are able to crosstalk with stem cells in a precise and controlled manner. At the same time, the biomaterial degradation kinetics renders the PLGA/gelatin constructs very attractive for myocardial regeneration approaches.
Institute for Chemical-Physical Processes, IPCF C.N.R., UOS Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy.
Caterina
0000-0002-5924-8401
C
Cristallini
Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy.
Elisa
E
Cibrario Rocchietti
Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy.
Mariacristina
M
Gagliardi
National Institute of Research in Metrology, INRIM, 10135 Turin, Italy.
Leonardo
0000-0003-4109-7032
L
Mortati
Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy.
Silvia
0000-0003-3278-9061
S
Saviozzi
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy.
Elena
0000-0002-4291-6530
E
Bellotti
Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy.
Valentina
V
Turinetto
National Institute of Research in Metrology, INRIM, 10135 Turin, Italy.
Maria Paola
MP
Sassi
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy.
Niccoletta
N
Barbani
Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy.
Claudia
0000-0001-7957-3925
C
Giachino