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Design Parameters of Tissue‐Engineering Scaffolds at the Atomic Scale
Author(s) -
Jekhmane Shehrazade,
Prachar Marek,
Pugliese Raffaele,
Fontana Federico,
MedeirosSilva João,
Gelain Fabrizio,
Weingarth Markus
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201907880
Subject(s) - scaffold , tissue engineering , extracellular matrix , stem cell , nanoscopic scale , nanotechnology , materials science , atomic units , chemistry , biophysics , biomedical engineering , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , medicine
Stem‐cell behavior is regulated by the material properties of the surrounding extracellular matrix, which has important implications for the design of tissue‐engineering scaffolds. However, our understanding of the material properties of stem‐cell scaffolds is limited to nanoscopic‐to‐macroscopic length scales. Herein, a solid‐state NMR approach is presented that provides atomic‐scale information on complex stem‐cell substrates at near physiological conditions and at natural isotope abundance. Using self‐assembled peptidic scaffolds designed for nervous‐tissue regeneration, we show at atomic scale how scaffold‐assembly degree, mechanics, and homogeneity correlate with favorable stem cell behavior. Integration of solid‐state NMR data with molecular dynamics simulations reveals a highly ordered fibrillar structure as the most favorable stem‐cell scaffold. This could improve the design of tissue‐engineering scaffolds and other self‐assembled biomaterials.