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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.07.22.453420

iPSC-derived Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in a Fibronectin Functionalized Collagen Scaffold Augment Endothelial Cell Morphogenesis

Duan, K.·Dash, B. C.·Sasson, D.·Hsia, H.
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Abstract

Tissue-engineered constructs have immense potential as autologous grafts for wound healing. Despite the rapid advancement in fabrication technology, the major limitation is controlling angiogenesis within these constructs to form a vascular network. Here, we aimed to develop a 3D scaffold that can regulate angiogenesis. We tested the effect of fibronectin and vascular smooth muscle cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-VSMC) on the morphogenesis of endothelial cells. The results demonstrate that fibronectin increases the number of endothelial networks. However, hiPSC-VSMC in the presence of fibronectin further substantiated the number and size of endothelial networks. A mechanistic study shows that blocking v{beta}3 integrin signaling between hiPSC-VSMC and fibronectin impacts the endothelial network formation. Collectively, this study set forth initial design criteria in developing an improved pre-vascularized construct.

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Duan, K., Dash, B. C., Sasson, D., Hsia, H.. 2021-07-23. iPSC-derived Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in a Fibronectin Functionalized Collagen Scaffold Augment Endothelial Cell Morphogenesis. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.22.453420

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