Synthetic Extracellular Matrices as a Toolbox to Tune Stem Cell Secretome
Kaizheng Liu, Tomas Veenendaal, Maury Wiendels, Alejandra M. Ruiz‐Zapata, Justin van Laar, Rafail Kyranas, Hilde Enting, Bram van Cranenbroek, Hans J. P. M. Koenen, Silvia M. Mihăilă, Egbert Oosterwijk, Paul H. J. Kouwer
Abstract
delivered. Ideally, the secretome can be steered by the culture conditions of the stem cells. So far, most studies use stem cells cultured on stiff plastic substrates, not representative of their native 3D environment. In this study, cells are cultured inside synthetic polyisocyanide (PIC)-based hydrogels, which are minimal, tailorable, and highly reproducible biomimetic matrices. Secretome analysis of human adipose-derived stem cells (multiplex, ELISA) displays that matrix manipulation is a powerful tool to direct the secretome composition. As an example, cells in nonadherent PIC gels secrete increased levels of IL-10 and the conditioned media from 3D culture accelerate wound closure. In all, our PIC-based approach opens the door to dedicated matrix design to engineer the secretome for custom applications.