The role of the surface on microglia function: implications for central nervous system tissue engineering.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Neuroscience
• Immunology

Background:

• Scaffold surface properties critically influence cell behavior in tissue engineering.
• Microglia, the central nervous system's immune cells, play a key role in regeneration.
• Designing instructive surfaces is crucial for advancing central nervous system (CNS) regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate microglia response to poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-ε-caprolactone) (P(TMC-CL)) fibrous and flat surfaces.
• To provide insights for developing instructive surfaces to aid CNS regeneration.
• To evaluate the potential of P(TMC-CL) substrates as matrices for nerve regeneration.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of P(TMC-CL) fibrous surfaces via electrospinning and flat surfaces via solvent casting.
• Culturing microglia on these distinct P(TMC-CL) substrates.
• Analyzing cell morphology, pro-inflammatory cytokine (tumor necrosis factor-α) concentration, astrogliosis, and myelin phagocytosis by microglia.

Main Results:

• Microglia morphology adapted to substrate features: round on flat surfaces, elongated on fibers.
• Higher pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were detected from microglia on fibrous surfaces.
• Microglia actively participated in myelin phagocytosis, with multinucleated giant cell formation observed exclusively on flat films.
• No exacerbated astrogliosis was observed when astrocytes were cultured with microglia-conditioned media.

Conclusions:

• P(TMC-CL) substrates modulate microglia behavior, influencing their morphology and inflammatory response.
• Microglia interacting with P(TMC-CL) substrates demonstrate potential contributions to the nerve regeneration process.
• The tested P(TMC-CL) materials show promise as supportive matrices for central nervous system (CNS) regeneration.