Modulation of the heterogeneous senescence of human mesenchymal stem cells on chemically-modified surfaces

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are multipotent and have been recognized as a source for tissue engineering or cell therapy. It is, therefore, imperative to develop methods to acquire enough hMSCs that maintain self-renewal and differentiation potential. However, aged hMSCs are prone to have a gradual decline in differentiation and proliferation potential with continual cell cycle divisions during in vitro culture. The physiochemical properties of hMSCs are highly dependent on their micro-environment, i.e. the 'stem cell niche'. In this study, the heterogeneous aging of hMSC was examined on chemically defined self-assembly monolayer surfaces. Surface energy was shown to regulate aged hMSC morphology, survival, and proteoglycan expression. High surface energy supplied a preferable environment for hMSC survival and expression of proteoglycans. These results will prove valuable to the design of scaffolds for tissue engineering or for the modulation of implantation environments. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.