Relationship between extracellular matrix (ECM) components and mineralization in bone marrow stromal cells

The relations between cells and extracellular matrix seem to orchestrate tissue organization by regulating cell functions during fetal development and throughout normal adult life. Thus, focusing on the innate ability of the native ECM to better modulate cell behavior, the coating of synthetic biomaterials with cell-derived decellularized extracellular matrices is a promising approach to confer bioactivity to inert materials and direct the fate of host or transplanted cells in tissue engineering applications. This study aims to better understand ECM influence on human bone marrow stem cells and its role during the induction of an osteogenic phenotype. For this purpose decellularized matrices were prepared and examined for viability, morphology, adhesion, ALP content, mineralization and gene expression. Extracellular matrix coatings were able to delay, unlike uncoated surfaces, cell spontaneous differentiation, underlying its role in the preservation of cell stemness. Furthermore, the combination of free cell ECM with osteogenic medium resulted in a strong effect on cell differentiation. In conclusion, the ECM provides an ideal environment that promote cell adhesion and proliferation creating an ideal setting for the large-scale expansion of MSCs. In addition, it could enhance, in the presence of osteogenic factors, the cells differentiative ability providing the basis for an easier tissue-specific fate control of MSCs for therapeutic applications.