Biomaterials made of self-assembling protein building blocks are widely explored for biomedical applications, for example, as drug carriers, tissue engineering scaffolds, and functionalized coatings. It has previously been shown that a recombinant spider silk protein functionalized with a cell binding motif from fibronectin, FN-4RepCT (FN-silk), self-assembles into fibrillar structures at interfaces, i.e., membranes, fibers, or foams at liquid/air interfaces, and fibrillar coatings at liquid/solid interfaces. Recently, we observed that FN-silk also assembles into microspheres in the bulk of a physiological buffer (PBS) solution. Herein, we investigate the self-assembly process of FN-silk into microspheres in the bulk and how its progression is affected by the presence of hyaluronic acid (HA), both in solution and in a cross-linked HA hydrogel. Moreover, we characterize the size, morphology, mesostructure, and protein secondary structure of the FN-silk microspheres prepared in PBS and HA. Finally, we examine how the FN-silk microspheres can be used to mediate cell adhesion and spreading of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) during cell culture. These investigations contribute to our fundamental understanding of the self-assembly of silk protein into materials and demonstrate the use of silk microspheres as additives for cell culture applications.

Three-dimensional (3D) neural tissue cultures recapitulate the basic concepts during development and disease better than what can be obtained using conventional two-dimensional cultures. Here, we use a recombinant spider silk protein functionalized with a cell binding motif from fibronectin (FN-silk) in combination with a human recombinant laminin 521 (LN-521) to create a fully defined stem cell niche in 3D. A novel method to assemble silk blended with LN-521 together with human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) is used to create centimeter-sized foams, which upon cultivation develop into 3D cell constructs supported by a microfibrillar network. After initial cell expansion, neural differentiation was induced to form a homogenous layer of continuous neuroectodermal tissue that allows further differentiation into neuronal subtypes. The silk-supported 3D cell constructs could then be detached from the bottom of the well and cultured as floating entities, where cells appeared in distinctive radial organization resembling early neural tube. This shows that the neural progenitors retain their cellular self-organization ability in the FN-silk/LN-521-supported 3D culture. Calcium imaging demonstrated spontaneous activity, which is important for the formation of neuronal networks. Together, the results show that hPSCs integrated into FN-silk/LN-521 foam develop into neural progenitors and that these stay viable during long-term differentiations. FN-silk/LN-521 also supports morphogenesis mimicking the human brain development and can serve as base for engineering of hPSC-derived neural tissue.

Advances in human pluripotent cell cultivation and differentiation protocols have led to production of stem cell-derived progenitors as a promising cell source for replacement therapy. Three-dimensional (3-D) culture is a better mimic of the natural niche for stem cells and is widely used for disease modeling. Here, we describe a nonaggregate culture system of human embryonic stem cells inside electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) fiber scaffolds combined with defined extracellular proteins naturally occurring in the stem cell niche. PCL fiber scaffolds coated with recombinant human laminin-521 readily supported initial stem cell attachment and growth from a single-cell suspension. The combination of recombinant E-cadherin-Fc and laminin-521 further improved cell dispersion rendering a uniform cell population. Finally, we showed that the cells cultured in E-cadherin-Fc- and laminin-521-coated PCL scaffolds could differentiate into all three germ layers. Importantly, we provided a chemically defined 3-D system in which pluripotent stem cells grown and differentiated avoiding the formation of cell aggregates.

Hydrogels comprising natural extracellular matrix (ECM) components are very attractive as scaffolds for regenerative medicine applications due to their inherent biointeractive properties. Responsive materials that adapt to their surrounding environments and regulate transport of ions and bioactive molecules manifest significant advantages for biomedical applications. Although there are many exciting challenges, the opportunity to design, fabricate and engineer stimuli-responsive polymeric systems based on ECM components is particularly attractive for regenerative medicine. Here we describe a one-pot approach to fabricate in situ fast gellable intelligent ECM mimetic scaffolds, based on methacrylated collagen building blocks with mechanical properties that can be modulated in the kPa-MPa range and that are suitable for both soft and hard tissues. Physiochemical characterizations demonstrate their temperature and pH responsiveness, together with the structural and enzymatic resistance that make them suitable scaffolds for long-term use in regenerative medicine and biomedical applications. The multifunctionality of these hydrogels has been demonstrated as an in situ depot-forming delivery platform for the adjustable controlled release of proteins and small drug molecules under physiological conditions and as a structural support for adhesion, proliferation and metabolic activities of human cells. The results presented herein should be useful to the design and fabrication of tailor-made scaffolds with tunable properties that retain and exhibit sustained release of growth factors for promoting tissue regeneration.

CD133+ cells are potential myogenic progenitors for skeletal muscle regeneration to treat muscular dystrophies. The proliferation of human CD133+ stem cells was studied for 14 days in 3D biomimetic electrospun poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) nano-fiber scaffolds. Additionally, the myogenic differentiation of the cells was studied during the last 7 days of the culture period. The cells were homogeneously distributed in the 3D scaffolds while colony formation and myotube formation occurred in 2D. After a lag phase due to lower initial cell attachment and an adaptation period, the cell growth rate in 3D was comparable to 2D after 7 and 14 days of culture. The expression of the stem cell (SC) marker PAX7 was 1.5-fold higher in 3D than 2D while the differentiation markers MyoG, Desmin and MyoD were only slightly changed (or remain unchanged) in 3D but strongly increased in 2D (12.6, 3.9, and 7.9-fold), and the myotube formation observed in 2D was absent in 3D. The marker expression during proliferation and differentiation, together with the absence of myotubes in 3D, indicates a better maintenance of stemness in 3D PLLA and stronger tendency for spontaneous differentiation in 2D culture. This makes 3D PLLA a promising biomaterial for the expansion of functional CD133+ cells.

Biomaterials made of self-assembling protein building blocks are widely explored for biomedical applications, for example as drug carriers, tissue engineering scaffolds, and functionalized coatings. It has previously been shown that a recombinant spider silk protein functionalized with a cell binding motif from fibronectin, FN-4RepCT (FN-silk), self-assembles into fibrillar structures at interfaces, i.e. membranes, fibers, or foams at liquid/air interfaces, and fibrillar coatings at liquid/solid interfaces. Recently, we observed that FN-silk also assembles into microspheres in the bulk of a physiological buffer (PBS) solution. Herein, we investigate the self-assembly process of FN-silk into microspheres in the bulk, and how its progression is affected by the presence of hyaluronic acid (HA), both in solution and in a cross-linked HA hydrogel. Moreover, we characterize the size, morphology, mesostructure and protein secondary structure of the FN-silk microspheres prepared in PBS and HA. Finally, we examine how the FN-silk microspheres can be used to mediate cell adhesion and spreading of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) during cell culture. These investigations contribute to our fundamental understanding of the self-assembly of silk protein into materials and demonstrate the use of silk microspheres as additives for cell culture applications.