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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Stem Cell Research
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1526943

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells towards lens epithelial stem cells based on three-dimensional bio-printed matrix

Provisionally accepted
Yufan Liu Yufan Liu 1Zuowei Wang Zuowei Wang 1Tianju Ma Tianju Ma 1Yi Gao Yi Gao 1*Wenqian Chen Wenqian Chen 1*Zi Ye Zi Ye 1,2*Zhaohui Li Zhaohui Li 1*
  • 1 Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
  • 2 Zi Ye, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The high risks of traumatic cataract treatments promoted the development of the concept of autologous lens regeneration. Biochemical cues can influence the cellular behavior of stem cells, and in this case, biophysical cues may be the important factors in producing rapid activation of cellular behavior. Here we bio-printed mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using a commonly used bioink sodium alginate-gelatin blends, and investigated the induction effect of MSC differentiation towards lens epithelial stem cells (LESCs) under a combination of biochemical cues and biophysical cues. It was found that biochemical cues in the porous three-dimensional (3D) matrix constructed using bioink sodium alginate-gelatin blends for bio-printing did not reduce the cell viability of loaded MSCs in the matrix by scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation and cell viability detection. Loaded MSCs in the matrix were consistently upregulated in the expression of proteins and genes involved in phenotypes and development signaling pathways of LESCs, as detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the support of biochemical cues. These results indicated that biophysical cues could rapidly activate the cellular behavior of MSCs differentiation, and biochemical cues could continuously induce MSCs differentiation towards LESCs.

    Keywords: MSCs, 3D bio-printed matrix, differentiation, LESCs, Crystalline lens

    Received: 12 Nov 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liu, Wang, Ma, Gao, Chen, Ye and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yi Gao, Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
    Wenqian Chen, Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
    Zi Ye, Zi Ye, Beijing, China
    Zhaohui Li, Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.