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Fabrication of Extracellular Matrix-derived Foams and Microcarriers as Tissue-specific Cell Culture and Delivery Platforms
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Porous, Ventricular Extracellular Matrix-Derived Foams as a Platform for Cardiac Cell Culture
Valerio Russo1, Ehsan Omidi2, Abbas Samani3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University , Kingston, Ontario, Canada . ; Human Mobility Research Centre, Kingston General Hospital , Kingston, Ontario, Canada .
Bioresearch Open Access
|October 22, 2015
Summary
Researchers developed 3D cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds from decellularized porcine left ventricle (DLV) for cell culture. Minced DLV foams enhanced stem cell cardiomyogenic differentiation, showing promise for cardiac tissue engineering.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Conventional 2D cell culture systems fail to replicate the native cellular microenvironment.
- 3D scaffolds derived from extracellular matrix (ECM) offer a more physiologically relevant alternative.
- Developing tissue-specific ECM scaffolds is crucial for advancing in vitro cell culture and regenerative medicine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate nonchemically cross-linked 3D porous foams from decellularized porcine left ventricle (DLV) ECM.
- To investigate the impact of DLV preprocessing methods (mechanical mincing vs. cryomilling) and ECM concentration on foam properties.
- To evaluate the efficacy of DLV foams in supporting cardiomyogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 3D DLV foams using mechanical mincing or cryomilling.
- Characterization of foam structure, composition, and mechanical properties.
- In vitro culture of pericardial fat adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (pfASCs) on DLV foams and collagen I gels.
- Induction of cardiomyogenesis using modified cardiomyogenic medium (MCM) or 5-azacytidine (5-aza).
- Assessment of cardiomyocyte marker expression via immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR.
Main Results:
- Minced DLV foams exhibited a more cohesive ECM network, enhanced mechanical properties, and greater stability compared to cryomilled foams.
- DLV foams significantly enhanced early cardiomyogenic differentiation markers in pfASCs when cultured in MCM.
- The cardiac ECM-derived scaffolds demonstrated a synergistic effect with the culture medium in promoting differentiation.
- Even without induction, DLV foams provided a mildly inductive microenvironment for pfASC cardiomyogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Nonchemically cross-linked 3D foams fabricated from minced DLV provide a stable and mechanically robust cardiac ECM scaffold.
- These DLV scaffolds show significant potential for promoting cardiomyogenic differentiation of stem cells, superior to collagen I controls.
- Tissue-specific ECM scaffolds offer a promising substrate for cardiac cell culture and regenerative medicine applications, leveraging the inherent inductive properties of the matrix.
