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Review
. 2021 Jun 30;14(13):3664.
doi: 10.3390/ma14133664.

Advanced Bio-Based Polymers for Astrocyte Cell Models

Lidija Gradišnik  1   2 , Roman Bošnjak  3 , Tina Maver  1   4 , Tomaž Velnar  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Advanced Bio-Based Polymers for Astrocyte Cell Models

Lidija Gradišnik et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

The development of in vitro neural tissue analogs is of great interest for many biomedical engineering applications, including the tissue engineering of neural interfaces, treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, and in vitro evaluation of cell-material interactions. Since astrocytes play a crucial role in the regenerative processes of the central nervous system, the development of biomaterials that interact favorably with astrocytes is of great research interest. The sources of human astrocytes, suitable natural biomaterials, guidance scaffolds, and ligand patterned surfaces are discussed in the article. New findings in this field are essential for the future treatment of spinal cord and brain injuries.

Keywords: astrocytes; hydrogels; tissue engineering.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of glial cells and their function in the healthy nervous system. (A) The peripheral nervous system consists of Schwann cells (blue) that myelinate the axons of peripheral neurons (green). (B) The central nervous system consists of astrocytes (yellow) that regulate synaptic connections and comprise the blood-brain barrier, oligodendrocytes (blue) that myelinate axons of neurons, and microglia (purple), which act as resident innate immune cells [32].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Immunopanning of astrocytes with anti-ITGB5 [80].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bioengineered scaffolds as substitutes for grafts [98].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Induction of Human Astrocytes (iPasts). (A) Design of the human iPast induction protocol under serum free condition. Abbreviations: DMEM/F12: Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium: Nutrient Mixture F-12; MHM: Media Hormone mix; B-27™: optimized serum-free supplement; KSR: KnockOut™ Serum Replacement; 3i: 3 µM CHIR99021, 3 µM 431542, 3 µM Dorsomorphine; RA: Retinoic acid; PM: Purmorphamine; bFGF (FGF-2): Basic fibroblast growth factor; EGF: Epidermal Growth Factor; BDNF: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; GDNF: Glial cell line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. (B) Representative images of cells at each step of iPast induction process from the two iPSC control lines 201B7 and WD39. Abbreviations: EBs: Embryoid Bodies; Pri. NS: primary neurospheres; Sec. NS: secondary neurospheres; N. & iPasts: Neurons and iPasts; iPasts: human iPSC-derived astrocytes. The cells in the insets at iPSC stage are higher magnifications of cells in dashed boxes and indicative of good quality iPSCs with clear perinuclear halos. Scale bars: 50 µm (20 µm for iPast stage). [110].
Figure 5
Figure 5
The use of collagen hydrogel for regeneration [135].
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Synthetic and natural polymers used for the fabrication of electrospun fibers [147]. (b) Effect of aligned fiber diameter on astrocyte elongation [32].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Different techniques for the preparation of topographical guidance scaffolds.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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