Hydrophilic cell-derived extracellular matrix as a niche to promote adhesion and differentiation of neural progenitor cells

The natural extracellular matrix (ECM) offers a dynamic and intricate microenvironment, which serves as a structural support and regulates cell phenotype and its function. Recently, ECM has been revealed as a favorable and biocompatible architecture for stem cell adhesion and growth in cellular therapy to treat various diseases. However, cell-derived ECM is rarely used as a culture substrate for anchoragedependent cells, such as neural progenitor cells (NPCs), which have the potential to differentiate into basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) for Alzheimer's disease. Here, we report mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF)-derived ECM, with an appropriately hydrophilic property (water contact angle of 66.8 similar to) to mimic the neural niche for NPCs. In addition, MEF-derived ECM possesses a nanotopological surface, plentiful kinds of components and exhibits excellent adhesion properties for anchoring NPCs. Compared with a laminin-coated plate, MEF-derived ECM promotes NPC proliferation and differentiation into BFCNs by similar to 1.6 fold and similar to 3.1 fold, respectively, consequently enhancing the production of acetylcholine by similar to 2.0 fold. This MEF-derived ECM could be a favorable cell culture carrier for NPC attachment, with great potential for applications in stem cell therapy for Alzheimer's disease.