Culture of Pyramidal Neural Precursors, Neural Stem Cells, and Fibroblasts on Various Biomaterials

The study from five years ago assessed the growth and differentiation of pyramidal neural precursors (PNPs), neural stem cells (NSCs), and fibroblasts on different biomaterials, including fibrin, collagen, hyaluronic acid (HA), sciatic nerves, and matrigel. The findings indicated that PNPs struggled to attach and grow on most materials except for matrigel, which supported three-dimensional neurite growth. NSCs showed directional neurite growth on aligned fibrin, which however degraded within two days. Induced NSCs (iNSCs) survived and differentiated on aligned collagen-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) for at least two weeks, but without aligned neurite extension. Fibroblasts generally exhibited better growth than neural cells on the materials, with directional growth on aligned fibrin and scattered growth on alveolate collagen. This study provided valuable information for optimizing biomaterials to culture specific cell types for cell therapy applications.