Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
cell
integrins
adhesion cells
ECM
Fig. 4.25
The cell and ECM
•
Hyaluronan, which is a negatively charged polymer used for cell proliferation,
differentiation, and migration
•
Laminins, which are proteins that assist in the development and maintenance of
membranes and adhesion
•
Fibronectin, which is a protein involved in adhesion of cells at ECM and
migration
•
Elastin, which is a hydrophobic protein that provide ECM with elasticity and
pliability
The ECM of various tissues differ in the composition of collagen, elastins, and
others components. The backbone of ECM consists of micro- and nano-sized
interconnected patterns of collagen and elastin bundles, which form a dense network
together with the molecular components described above.
The implementation of the artificial ECM scaffold can be done in two basic ways:
mimicking of ECM components to generate the cell microenvironment, or direct use
of nanomaterials.
In the case of ECM analog materials, the ECM fibers such as collagen and
elastins are replaced by carbon, PLA, PGA, or chitosan, which form a three-
dimensional cell scaffold with adhesion properties via electrospinning. These
materials perform the same function as ECM fibers when peptide amphiphile self-
assembles on them (
Dvir et al. 2011
). A more radical way is to use CNT as a
scaffold replacing entirely the ECM components. CNT confers to the artificial ECM
an enhanced tensile strength and conductivity, while Ti nanowires confer better
cell adhesion to the matrix and localization of biomolecules. The artificial tissue
engineering plays an important role in controlled drug delivery, with the final aim
of creating complex nanomaterials able to control and guide specific processes in
tissues and organs.
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