Restraint of the Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by a Nonfouling Zwitterionic Hydrogel |
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| Authors: | Tao Bai Fang Sun Lei Zhang Andrew Sinclair Sijun Liu Jean‐Rene Ella‐Menye Ying Zheng Prof Shaoyi Jiang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (USA);2. Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (USA) |
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| Abstract: | The success of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) therapies is largely dependent on the ability to maintain the multipotency of cells and control their differentiation. External biochemical and biophysical cues can readily trigger hMSCs to spontaneously differentiate, thus resulting in a rapid decrease in the multipotent cell population and compromising their regenerative capacity. Herein, we demonstrate that nonfouling hydrogels composed of pure poly(carboxybetaine) (PCB) enable hMSCs to retain their stem‐cell phenotype and multipotency, independent of differentiation‐promoting media, cytoskeletal‐manipulation agents, and the stiffness of the hydrogel matrix. Moreover, encapsulated hMSCs can be specifically induced to differentiate down osteogenic or adipogenic pathways by controlling the content of fouling moieties in the PCB hydrogel. This study examines the critical role of nonspecific interactions in stem‐cell differentiation and highlights the importance of materials chemistry in maintaining stem‐cell multipotency and controlling differentiation. |
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| Keywords: | gels nonspecific interactions stem‐cell differentiation zwitterions zwitterionic hydrogels |
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