Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Mar 26, 2015; 7(2): 266-280
Published online Mar 26, 2015. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v7.i2.266
Role of nanotopography in the development of tissue engineered 3D organs and tissues using mesenchymal stem cells
Shima Salmasi, Deepak M Kalaskar, Wai-Weng Yoon, Gordon W Blunn, Alexander M Seifalian
Shima Salmasi, Deepak M Kalaskar, Alexander M Seifalian, UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, Centre for Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine, University College London, NW3 2PF London, United Kingdom
Wai-Weng Yoon, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, HA7 4LP Middlesex, United Kingdom
Gordon W Blunn, Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculo-Skeletal Science, University College London, WC1E 6BT London, United Kingdom
Gordon W Blunn, Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculo-Skeletal Science, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, HA7 4LP Middlesex, United Kingdom
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the manuscript in terms of writing the paper.
Conflict-of-interest: Authors confirm that no conflict of interest exists regarding this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Alexander M Seifalian, Professor, UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, Centre for Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine, University College London, 9th Floor, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, NW3 2PF London, United Kingdom. d.kalaskar@ucl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44-020-77940500 Fax: +44-020-74726444
Received: July 29, 2014
Peer-review started: July 30, 2014
First decision: September 29, 2014
Revised: November 7, 2014
Accepted: December 3, 2014
Article in press: December 10, 2014
Published online: March 26, 2015
Processing time: 233 Days and 19.9 Hours
Abstract

Recent regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies (using cells, scaffolds, medical devices and gene therapy) have led to fascinating progress of translation of basic research towards clinical applications. In the past decade, great deal of research has focused on developing various three dimensional (3D) organs, such as bone, skin, liver, kidney and ear, using such strategies in order to replace or regenerate damaged organs for the purpose of maintaining or restoring organs’ functions that may have been lost due to aging, accident or disease. The surface properties of a material or a device are key aspects in determining the success of the implant in biomedicine, as the majority of biological reactions in human body occur on surfaces or interfaces. Furthermore, it has been established in the literature that cell adhesion and proliferation are, to a great extent, influenced by the micro- and nano-surface characteristics of biomaterials and devices. In addition, it has been shown that the functions of stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells in particular, could be regulated through physical interaction with specific nanotopographical cues. Therefore, guided stem cell proliferation, differentiation and function are of great importance in the regeneration of 3D tissues and organs using tissue engineering strategies. This review will provide an update on the impact of nanotopography on mesenchymal stem cells for the purpose of developing laboratory-based 3D organs and tissues, as well as the most recent research and case studies on this topic.

Keywords: Nanotopography; Mesenchymal stem cells; Tissue engineering; Nanotechnology; Three dimensional organs/tissues; Scaffolds

Core tip: Tissue engineering and nanotechnology are both exciting fields that have enormous potentials to revolutionise medicine as we know it today. Use of nanotechnology is an attractive and effective way to control and direct biological events at cellular levels. Nanoscale architecture plays a pivotal role directing cellular activities. Here, the use of nanotopography for the purpose of 3D organ/tissue regeneration using mesenchymal stem cells (i.e., their proliferation, differentiation and function), is reviewed by investigating the most recent, innovative, and effective studies in this field.