Neuronal differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells in hybrid polyester scaffolds with heparinized surface

This study presents the differentiation capability of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in heparinized binary scaffolds composed of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(β-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). The neuronal differentiation of iPS cells in scaffolds with surface heparin was characterized with immunochemical staining. The results revealed that an increase in the weight percentage of PCL and in the gel concentration enhanced the porosity of scaffolds. Based on the carbon quantity, an increase in the grafting concentration of heparin raised the content of sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen on the scaffolding surface. In addition, a higher grafting concentration of heparin yielded a weaker expression of stage-specific embryonic antigen 1 in constructs, indicating that the grafted heparin accelerated differentiation and reduced the number of phenotypic iPS cells after cultivation. When the grafting concentration of heparin increased, the staining against βIII tubulin exhibited a stronger fluorescent intensity, demonstrating that iPS cells in constructs differentiated toward neurons. The heparinized PCL-PHB scaffolds can be efficient biomaterials in guiding the differentiation of iPS cells for nerve tissue engineering.