Recent review of the effect of nanomaterials on stem cells.

The field of stem-cell-therapy offers considerable promise as a means of delivering new treatments for a wide range of diseases. Recent progress in nanotechnology has stimulated the development of multifunctional nanomaterials (NMs) for stem-cell-therapy. Several clinical trials based on the use of NMs are currently underway for stem-cell-therapy purposes, such as drug/gene delivery and imaging. However, the interactions between NMs and stem cells are far from being completed, and the effects of the NMs on cellular behavior need critical evaluation. In this review, the interactions between several types of mostly used NMs and stem cells, and their associated possible mechanisms are systematically discussed, with specific emphasis on the possible differentiation effects induced by NMs. It is expected that the enhanced understanding of NM-stem cell interactions will facilitate biomaterial design for stem-cell-therapy and regenerative medicine applications.