Hydrogels Containing Gradients in Vascular Density Reveal Dose-Dependent Role of Angiocrine Cues on Stem Cell Behavior.

ABSTRACT: Biomaterials that replicate patterns of microenvironmental signals from the stem cell niche offer the potential to refine platforms to regulate stem cell behavior. While significant emphasis has been placed on understanding the effects of biophysical and biochemical cues on stem cell fate, vascular-derived or angiocrine cues offer an important alternative signaling axis for biomaterial-based stem cell platforms. Elucidating dose-dependent relationships between angiocrine cues and stem cell fate are largely intractable in animal models and 2D cell cultures. In this study, microfluidic mixing devices are leveraged to generate 3D hydrogels containing lateral gradients in vascular density alongside murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Regional differences in vascular density can be generate

SUBMITTER: Ngo MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9090181 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature