A combined physicochemical approach towards human tenocyte phenotype maintenance

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Cell Biology
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Tenocytes lose phenotype and function in vitro due to lack of optimal tissue context.
• Combined approaches are explored to control cell fate during in vitro expansion, but permutations are vast.
• Physicochemical cues offer scalable control over cell behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess scalable physicochemical approaches for maintaining human tenocyte phenotype in vitro.
• To investigate the impact of substrate stiffness, topography, collagen I coating, and macromolecular crowding.
• To identify optimal conditions for preserving tenocyte function and enhancing extracellular matrix deposition.

Main Methods:

• Human tenocytes were cultured on substrates with varying stiffness, anisotropic topography, and collagen I coating.
• Macromolecular crowding was employed to enhance extracellular matrix deposition.
• Cell morphology, viability, metabolic activity, and gene expression were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Cell morphology was most influenced by surface topography.
• Collagen I coating increased cell number and metabolic activity.
• Macromolecular crowding significantly enhanced extracellular matrix deposition.
• A 130 kPa grooved substrate with macromolecular crowding, without collagen I, maintained tenocyte phenotype at day 14.

Conclusions:

• Combined physicochemical approaches can effectively control cell fate during in vitro expansion.
• Surface topography and macromolecular crowding are key factors in maintaining tenocyte phenotype.
• Optimized physicochemical conditions are crucial for successful tenocyte culture and tissue engineering applications.