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Published on: April 27, 2017
Effect of cell density on mesenchymal stem cells aggregation in RGD-alginate 3D matrices under osteoinductive
F Raquel Maia1, Ana H Lourenço, Pedro L Granja
1Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica (INEB), Rua do Campo Alegre, no. 823, 4150-180, Porto, Portugal; Faculty of Engineering, Universidade do Porto (FEUP), Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal.
Abstract:
Cellular activities in 3D are differentially affected by several matrix-intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This study highlights the relevance of optimizing initial cell densities when establishing 3D cultures for specific applications. Independently of the entrapping density, MSCs cultured within RGD-alginate hydrogels showed steady-state levels of metabolic activity and were in a nearly non-proliferative state, but recovered "normal" activity levels when retrieved from 3D matrices and re-cultured as monolayers. Importantly, high-densities promoted the establishment of cell-cell contacts with formation of multicellular clusters stabilized by endogenous ECM, and also stimulated MSCs osteogenic differentiation. These MSC-ECM microtissues may be used as building blocks for tissue engineering.
