Fig. 4
From: Constructing a cell microenvironment with biomaterial scaffolds for stem cell therapy
The engineering approach provides a niche for stem cell transplantation. A biomaterial designed with growth factors was applied for stem cell transplantation, for example, human placenta-derived MSCs (hP-MSCs) applied to treat trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis in mice [104]. First, stem cells were cultured in CS-IGF-1C hydrogels in vitro, stimulating the production of PGE2, and then upregulating the cell proliferation markers of EGF, IGF-1, and HGF. Second, stem cells were co-transplanted with the hydrogel in vivo and PGE2 released from stem cell uptake through binding to its receptor in macrophages. Down-regulated genes of IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-6, and TNF-α were observed and the secretion of IL-10 by M2 macrophages, promoting the polarization of M2 macrophages in colitis of the mouse model. Finally, the results determined the functional recovery of colitis mice under the stem cell co-transplantation system of stem cells with conjugated growth factors