Stem cell responses to plasma surface modified electrospun polyurethane scaffolds.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Stem Cell Biology
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Stem cell behavior is influenced by the topographical properties of functional materials, a key area in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
• Investigating plasma surface modification of electrospun polyurethane fibers to understand its impact on stem cell responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of argon, oxygen, and hydrogen plasma surface modification on electrospun polyurethane fibers.
• To analyze the influence of these modifications on human embryonic stem cell (hESC) and rat postnatal neural stem cell (NSC) behavior.
• To clarify the role of functional materials in stem cell behavior for tissue engineering applications.

Main Methods:

• Surface modification of electrospun polyurethane fibers using argon, oxygen, and hydrogen plasma.
• Assessment of fiber surface functionalities and roughness textures induced by plasma treatments.
• Evaluation of hESC and NSC attachment, proliferation, migration, and differentiation on modified fibers.

Main Results:

• Plasma treatments induced distinct surface functionalities and roughness textures on polyurethane fibers.
• Substantially increased hESC attachment and proliferation were observed on plasma-treated randomly oriented fibers compared to native fibers.
• Argon plasma yielded the optimal surface properties for enhanced cell expansion, while aligned fibers facilitated contact-guided cell migration and process alignment.

Conclusions:

• Plasma surface modification of polyurethane fibers significantly enhances stem cell attachment and proliferation.
• Argon plasma treatment offers an optimal surface for stem cell expansion, and fiber alignment can guide cell behavior.
• While surface modifications impact cell attachment and migration, they did not significantly alter neuronal differentiation rates.