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Biomaterials for Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Regenerative Medicine

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2019) | Viewed by 10706

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Margit Schulze

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Guest Editor

Department of Natural Sciences, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Sankt Augustin, Germany
Interests: biorefinery concepts; biomass exploitation; biopolymer; isolation; characterization and utilization for construction; packaging, and biomedicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine covers various interdisciplinary aspects: Depending on the final application, scaffolds and drug release materials have to fulfill a number of very different, sometimes even contradictory requirements. For example, bone regeneration scaffolds are required to show sufficient mechanical stability when implanted, combined with controlled degradability, and replaced by natural bone thereby avoiding toxic degradation products.

Novel stem cell (SC) based approaches could allow individualized patient-specific solutions. However, stem cells are sensitively affected by their microenvironment (stem cell niche) which is defined by extracellular matrix properties such as elasticity and geometry. Compounds similar to the extracellular matrix (such as transforming growth factor-β, tension induced proteins, integrins and transient receptor potential) do influence and regulate cytoskeleton tension successively followed by gene expression and focal adhesion though the activation of a series of mechanical transduction events. In addition, various soluble factors (i.e., extracellular nucleotide, growth factors, and cytokines), mechanical forces (shear stress and blood pressure) and media conditions (pH, oxygen concentration) do significantly affect the stem cell fate. Scaffolds developed so far for stem cell differentiation have to be tailored to mimic the natural stem cell niche. Both, scaffold surface polarity and topography have to be adapted to the cell shape in order to support cell adhesion, proliferation and growth. Materials for encapsulation and time-controlled release of drugs supporting the SC differentiation process are required. Today, a broad variety of materials are under investigation including novel hybrids fabricated by additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing or electrospinning.

Please be invited to contribute original articles, as well as survey articles specifying recent efforts in biomaterials used in stem cell-based therapies including natural polymers and related hybrids, their synthesis as well as structural analysis, in vitro and in vivo cell culture and signal transduction studies, pre-clinical and clinical trials.

Prof. Dr. Margit Schulze
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Biomaterials
Bone regeneration
Drug encapsulation and release
Regenrative medicine
Scaffolds
Stem cells
Stem cell niche
Tissue engineering

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 4055 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Magnesium Ions on the Preparation and Storage of DNA Tetrahedrons in Micromolar Ranges

by Yue Hu, Zhou Chen, Zheng Hou, Mingkai Li, Bo Ma, Xiaoxing Luo and Xiaoyan Xue

Molecules 2019, 24(11), 2091; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24112091 - 01 Jun 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2882

Abstract

The DNA tetrahedron (Td), as one of the novel DNA-based nanoscale biomaterials, has been extensively studied because of its excellent biocompatibility and increased possibilities for decorating precisely. Although the use of Td in laboratories is well established, knowledge surrounding the factors influencing its preparation and storage is lacking. In this research, we investigated the role of the magnesium ions, which greatly affect the structure and stability of DNA. We assembled 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 μM Td in buffers containing different Mg²⁺ concentrations, demonstrating that 2 and 5 mM Mg²⁺ is optimal in these conditions, and that yields decrease dramatically once the DNA concentration reaches 20 μM or the Mg²⁺ concentration is lower than 0.5 mM. We also verified that the Td structure is retained better through freeze-thawing than lyophilization. Furthermore, a lower initial Mg²⁺ (≤2 mM) benefited the maintenance of Td structure in the process of lyophilization. Hence, our research sheds light on the influence of Mg²⁺ in the process of preparing and storing Td, and also provides some enlightenment on improving yields of other DNA nanostructures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Regenerative Medicine)

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17 pages, 6287 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biomechanical Stability and Osteogenesis in a Tibial Bone Defect Treated by Autologous Ovine Cord Blood Cells—A Pilot Study

by Monika Herten, Christoph Zilkens, Fritz Thorey, Tjark Tassemeier, Sabine Lensing-Höhn, Johannes C. Fischer, Martin Sager, Rüdiger Krauspe and Marcus Jäger

Molecules 2019, 24(2), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24020295 - 15 Jan 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3175

Abstract

The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of autologous umbilical cord blood cells (USSC) on bone regeneration and biomechanical stability in an ovine tibial bone defect. Ovine USSC were harvested and characterized. After 12 months, full-size 2.0 cm mid-diaphyseal bone defects were created and stabilized by an external fixateur containing a rigidity measuring device. Defects were filled with (i) autologous USSC on hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffold (test group), (ii) HA scaffold without cells (HA group), or (iii) left empty (control group). Biomechanical measures, standardized X-rays, and systemic response controls were performed regularly. After six months, bone regeneration was evaluated histomorphometrically and labeled USSC were tracked. In all groups, the torsion distance decreased over time, and radiographies showed comparable bone regeneration. The area of newly formed bone was 82.5 ± 5.5% in the control compared to 59.2 ± 13.0% in the test and 48.6 ± 2.9% in the HA group. Labeled cells could be detected in lymph nodes, liver and pancreas without any signs of tumor formation. Although biomechanical stability was reached earliest in the test group with autologous USSC on HA scaffold, the density of newly formed bone was superior in the control group without any bovine HA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Regenerative Medicine)

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Review

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21 pages, 5811 KiB

Open AccessReview

Bone Regeneration Induced by Strontium Folate Loaded Biohybrid Scaffolds

by Marcela Martín-del-Campo, José G. Sampedro, María Lisseth Flores-Cedillo, Raul Rosales-Ibañez and Luis Rojo

Molecules 2019, 24(9), 1660; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24091660 - 27 Apr 2019

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4293

Abstract

Nowadays, regenerative medicine has paid special attention to research (in vitro and in vivo) related to bone regeneration, specifically in the treatment of bone fractures or skeletal defects, which is rising worldwide and is continually demanding new developments in the use of stem cells, growth factors, membranes and scaffolds based on novel nanomaterials, and their applications in patients by using advanced tools from molecular biology and tissue engineering. Strontium (Sr) is an element that has been investigated in recent years for its participation in the process of remodeling and bone formation. Based on these antecedents, this is a review about the Strontium Folate (SrFO), a recently developed non-protein based bone-promoting agent with interest in medical and pharmaceutical fields due to its improved features in comparison to current therapies for bone diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Regenerative Medicine)

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