Differentiation Ability of Amniotic Fluid-Derived Stem Cells Cultured on Extracellular Matrix-immobilized Surface

Stem cells from amniotic fluid were cultured on dishes coated or grafted with extracellular matrix (ECM) or Matrigel where gelatin, collagen, fibronectin, laminin, and vitronectin were selected as ECM components (nanosegments). The effects of interactions between amniotic fluid stem cells and nanosegments were investigated on the expression of surface markers of mesenchymal stem cells and on the differentiation abilities of osteoblasts and neural cells. The ECM-coated dishes produced water contact angles from 35 to 65 degrees, whereas ECM-grafted dishes produced water contact angles from 50 to 70 degrees, which was an adequate water contact angle range for our cell culture conditions. Culture on ECM-immobilized dishes enhances amniotic fluid stem cell differentiation into osteoblasts more than culture on polystyrene dishes grafted with amino groups (PS-NH2 dishes). This finding indicates that specific interactions between amniotic fluid cells and the ECM grafted onto the culture dishes promote the differentiation of cells into osteoblasts. Matrigel-immobilized dishes promoted a more extensive differentiation of amniotic fluid stem cells into neural cells than did ECM-immobilized dishes, but they did not promote differentiation into osteoblasts. Immobilization of the optimal nanosegments (ECM or Matrigel) onto culture dishes enhances amniotic fluid stem cell differentiation into osteoblasts and neural cells; the choice of nanosegments depends on the desired differentiated cell type.