Impact of Graphene Derivatives as Artificial Extracellular Matrices on Mesenchymal Stem Cells

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 27; no. 2; p. 379
• Main Authors: Ikram, Rabia, Shamsuddin, Shamsul Azlin Ahmad, Mohamed Jan, Badrul, Abdul Qadir, Muhammad, Kenanakis, George, Stylianakis, Minas M, Anastasiadis, Spiros H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 07.01.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Biocompatibility; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Biological properties; Biomedical engineering; Biomedical materials; Carbon; Cell differentiation; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell growth; Cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Chemical agents; Differentiation; Dopamine; Extracellular matrix; Extracellular Matrix - chemistry; Gene expression; Graphene; graphene oxide; Graphite - chemistry; Graphite - pharmacology; Growth factors; Human tissues; Humans; Medicine; Mesenchymal stem cells; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - cytology; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - drug effects; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - metabolism; Nanomaterials; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nanotechnology; Organs; Regenerative medicine; Regenerative Medicine - methods; Review; Scaffolds; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - methods; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; nanotechnology; graphene oxide; tissue engineering; mesenchymal stem cells
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules27020379

Thanks to stem cells' capability to differentiate into multiple cell types, damaged human tissues and organs can be rapidly well-repaired. Therefore, their applicability in the emerging field of regenerative medicine can be further expanded, serving as a promising multifunctional tool for tissue engineering, treatments for various diseases, and other biomedical applications as well. However, the differentiation and survival of the stem cells into specific lineages is crucial to be exclusively controlled. In this frame, growth factors and chemical agents are utilized to stimulate and adjust proliferation and differentiation of the stem cells, although challenges related with degradation, side effects, and high cost should be overcome. Owing to their unique physicochemical and biological properties, graphene-based nanomaterials have been widely used as scaffolds to manipulate stem cell growth and differentiation potential. Herein, we provide the most recent research progress in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) growth, differentiation and function utilizing graphene derivatives as extracellular scaffolds. The interaction of graphene derivatives in human and rat MSCs has been also evaluated. Graphene-based nanomaterials are biocompatible, exhibiting a great potential applicability in stem-cell-mediated regenerative medicine as they may promote the behaviour control of the stem cells. Finally, the challenges, prospects and future trends in the field are discussed.