Developing Fibrous Biomaterials to Modulate Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Cell Biology
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• The origins of mesenchymal cells, crucial for tissue repair and disease, are not fully understood.
• Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) are a key process where epithelial cells transform into mesenchymal cells, relevant in development and disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review fibrous materials and fabrication techniques for tissue engineering scaffolds.
• To explore biomimetic environments that integrate mechanical sensing for studying cellular plasticity during EMT.
• To discuss bioengineering strategies for modulating EMTs in future biomaterial design.

Main Methods:

• Review of natural and synthetic fibrous materials for scaffold fabrication.
• Analysis of fabrication techniques, architectures, and properties of fibrous scaffolds.
• Summary of bioengineering approaches to modulate EMT.

Main Results:

• Fibrous scaffolds are increasingly used in tissue engineering to replicate the extracellular matrix (ECM) structure.
• Various natural and synthetic materials, fabrication methods, and scaffold architectures are available.
• Biomimetic scaffolds can provide physical, biochemical, and biomechanical cues to guide cell behavior.

Conclusions:

• Engineered biomimetic environments integrating mechanical sensing show potential for understanding EMT and cellular plasticity.
• Fibrous scaffolds are vital for restoring ECM structure and function in tissue engineering.
• Bioengineering approaches to modulate EMTs offer future directions for biomaterial design.