Biotechonology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
C/o Biotechonology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2018 Feb;14(1):43-57. doi: 10.1007/s12015-017-9764-y.
Stem cells are well-known to have prominent roles in tissue engineering applications. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can differentiate into every cell type in the body while adult stem cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from various sources. Nevertheless, an utmost limitation in harnessing stem cells for tissue engineering is the supply of cells. The advances in biomaterial technology allows the establishment of ex vivo expansion systems to overcome this bottleneck. The progress of various scaffold fabrication could direct stem cell fate decisions including cell proliferation and differentiation into specific lineages in vitro. Stem cell biology and biomaterial technology promote synergistic effect on stem cell-based regenerative therapies. Therefore, understanding the interaction of stem cell and biomaterials would allow the designation of new biomaterials for future clinical therapeutic applications for tissue regeneration. This review focuses mainly on the advances of natural and synthetic biomaterials in regulating stem cell fate decisions. We have also briefly discussed how biological and biophysical properties of biomaterials including wettability, chemical functionality, biodegradability and stiffness play their roles.
干细胞在组织工程应用中具有重要作用。胚胎干细胞（ESCs）和诱导多能干细胞（iPSCs）可以分化为体内的每一种细胞类型，而间充质干细胞（MSCs）等成体干细胞可以从各种来源中分离出来。然而，利用干细胞进行组织工程的最大限制是细胞的供应。生物材料技术的进步允许建立体外扩增系统来克服这一瓶颈。各种支架制造的进展可以指导干细胞命运决定，包括细胞增殖和分化为特定谱系的体外。干细胞生物学和生物材料技术在基于干细胞的再生疗法上有协同作用。因此，了解干细胞与生物材料的相互作用将允许为未来的临床治疗应用设计新的生物材料，以促进组织再生。本文主要综述了天然和合成生物材料在调控干细胞命运决定方面的进展。我们还简要讨论了生物材料的生物和物理性能，包括润湿性、化学功能、生物降解性和刚度，如何发挥作用。
