Electrospun scaffold for adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells

Adipose derived mesenchymal stem cell (aMSC) is an attractive alternative to bone derived mesenchymal stem cell (bMSC). aMSC can be isolated from the fat tissues derived from liposuction. Just like bMSC, aMSC has been shown to be able to differentiate into various lineages. Due to its source, aMSC is also favored for soft tissue regeneration. Electrospun scaffold in its various forms have been shown to be good for aMSC proliferation and differentiation.

The first step to determine the suitability of a material for tissue regeneration and tissue engineering is to determine its biocompatibility. Jabur et al (2017) showed that electrospun poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) was able to support proliferation of horse adipose mesenchymal stem cells (HAMSc). Cell proliferation was good for scaffold with fiber average diameter of 740 nm and 1252 nm even without prior soaking of the scaffold in fetal bovine serum. Chen et al (2013) also showed good proliferation of human derived aMSC on different blends of electrospun poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). aMSC cultured on these electrospun scaffolds were able to undergo adipogenesis, osteogenesis and chondrogenesis when cultured in their respective media.

The main attraction of stem cells is their ability to differentiate into targeted cell lineage. Francis et al (2012) used electrospinning to fabricate a fibrous membrane from a mixture of adipose tissue extracellular matrix and polydioxanone for culturing of aMSC. The resultant scaffold was demonstrated to support aMSC attachment and growth. Electrospun scaffolds made out purely of synthetic materials have also been shown to support aMSC proliferation and adipogenesis. Using a mixture of Poly (L-lactide) (PLLA) and Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL), Chen et al (2013) was able to encourage aMSC towards adipogenesis by culturing the cells in culture medium supplemented with 0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), 0.2 mM indomethacin 0.1 µM dexamethasone, 10 µM insulin and 1% penicillin/streptomycin. Electrospun fibrous scaffold of poly(?-caprolactone-co-urethane-co-urea) (PEUU) and poly[(L-lactide-co-?-caprolactone)-co-(L-lysine ethyl ester diisocyanate)-block-oligo(ethylene glycol)-urethane] (PEU) has also been demonstrated to support proliferation and differentiation of aMSC to adipogenic lineage when cultured in preadipocyte differentiation medium [Gugerell et al 2014].

While aMSC may be the favored for differentiation into adipocytes, it has also been used for differentiation into other lineages [Chen et al 2013]. For the construction of tissue engineered vascular graft, Zhou et al (2016) was able to drive differentiation of human derived aMSC into smooth muscle cells (SMC) and endothelial cells (EC). The aMSC was cultured in basal medium supplemented with 5?ng/mL TGF-β1 and 2.5?ng/mL BMP4 for 1 week for differentiation into SMC. For EC, the aMSC was stimulated in VEGF and BMP4 under hypoxic conditions. Taking a step further Wang et al (2016) used electrospun blend of silk fibroin/poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) nanofibers seeded with human derived aMSC for in vivo repair of a critical-sized cranial defect in rats. Prior to this, their in vitro study have shown differentiation of aMSC into osteogenic lineage under osteogenic induction medium. With the addition of aMSC into the electrospun scaffold, healing of the cranial defect was significantly faster than control scaffold without aMSC seeded.