Fluorescent PLGA from PolySciTech used in research on cell morphology and behavior on top of fiber scaffolds

 

Tissue regeneration is a process by which damaged or missing tissue is replaced by providing the correct conditions for cells to regrow. For this the extracellular matrix (the material which binds between cells) must be replaced and this is often accomplished with a fibrous or porous cell scaffold. Research is ongoing whether such artificial cell scaffolds can provide the correct environment for cells to grow and to behave as they normally do in the body. Recently, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) used fluorescently labeled PLGA (AV015) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to research cell behavior when grown on mesh scaffolds. This research can help further understanding and development of tissue regeneration strategies in the future. Read more: Florczyk, S.J., Hotaling, N.A., Simon, M., Chalfoun, J., Horenberg, A.L., Schaub, N.J., Wang, D., Szczypiński, P.M., DeFelice, V.L., Bajcsy, P. and Simon Jr, C.G., 2022. Measuring dimensionality of cell‐scaffold contacts of primary human bone marrow stromal cells cultured on electrospun fiber scaffolds. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jbm.a.37449

“Abstract: The properties and structure of the cellular microenvironment can influence cell behavior. Sites of cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) initiate intracellular signaling that directs cell functions such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Electrospun fibers mimic the fibrous nature of native ECM proteins and cell culture in fibers affects cell shape and dimensionality, which can drive specific functions, such as the osteogenic differentiation of primary human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs), by. In order to probe how scaffolds affect cell shape and behavior, cell-fiber contacts were imaged to assess their shape and dimensionality through a novel approach. Fluorescent polymeric fiber scaffolds were made so that they could be imaged by confocal fluorescence microscopy. Fluorescent polymer films were made as a planar control. hBSMCs were cultured on the fluorescent substrates and the cells and substrates were imaged. Two different image analysis approaches, one having geometrical assumptions and the other having statistical assumptions, were used to analyze the 3D structure of cell-scaffold contacts. The cells cultured in scaffolds contacted the fibers in multiple planes over the surface of the cell, while the cells cultured on films had contacts confined to the bottom surface of the cell. Shape metric analysis indicated that cell-fiber contacts had greater dimensionality and greater 3D character than the cell-film contacts. These results suggest that cell adhesion site-initiated signaling could emanate from multiple planes over the cell surface during culture in fibers, as opposed to emanating only from the cell's basal surface during culture on planar surfaces.”