Induction of cardiac marker expression in multipotent stem cells via a heart-derived extracellular matrix-coated reduced graphene oxide platform
摘要
Graphene, known for its excellent electrical conductivity and nanostructural properties, has shown promise in tissue engineering, in addition to its established applications in electronics and energy storage. These properties are considered advantageous for promoting cellular responses at the interface between graphene and cardiac tissue. In this study, we fabricated a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) platform coated with heart-derived decellularized extracellular matrix (hdECM), referred to as the hdECM/rGO platform. The graphene surface was coated with hdECM to establish a biologically active microenvironment. Accordingly, the platform was designed to provide a combination of physical, biochemical, and electrical stimuli. To investigate the influence of this environment, human adipose-derived stem cells, human c-kit+ cardiac progenitor cells, and human nasal turbinate-derived mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on both rGO and hdECM/rGO platforms. Immunofluorescence staining, gene expression analysis, and electrical stimulation revealed enhanced expression of cardiac-associated markers. The observed cardiac-like responses suggest that the microenvironmental cues provided by the hdECM/rGO platform may induce partial cardiac phenotypes in a stem cell type-dependent manner. The findings support the potential of the hdECM/rGO platform as a biofunctional substrate for guiding cardiac-like transitions in multipotent stem cells within the context of cardiac tissue engineering.