Increased Survival and Function of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Spheroids Entrapped in Instructive Alginate Hydrogels

This study demonstrates the promise of cell-instructive biomaterials to direct survival and function of MSC spheroids for bone tissue engineering applications. Significance Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) spheroids exhibit improved therapeutic potential in vitro compared with dissociated MSCs, yet spheroids are directly injected into tissues, ceding control of cell function to the extracellular matrix and potentially limiting the duration of improvement. Cell delivery using adhesive biomaterials promotes cell retention and function. These studies explored the role of adhesion to the surrounding matrix on spheroid function. When entrapped in an adhesive biomaterial, MSC spheroids exhibited improved survival and proangiogenic growth factor secretion in vitro and bone formation in vivo compared with cells in nonadhesive hydrogels. These findings demonstrate the value of deploying MSC spheroids in instructive biomaterials to improve cell function.
Source: Stem Cells Translational Medicine - Category: Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Enabling Technologies for Cell-Based Clinical Translation Source Type: research