Differentiation of human endometrial stem cells into endothelial-like cells on gelatin/chitosan/bioglass nanofibrous scaffolds

Abstract

The capacity of gelatin/chitosan/bioactive glass nanopowders (GEL/CS/BGNPs) scaffolds was investigated for increasing human endometrial stem cells (hEnSCs) differentiation into the endothelial cells in the presence of angiogenic factors. GEL/CS nanofibrous scaffold with different contents of BGNPs were fabricated and assessed. Expression of endothelial markers (CD31, vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), and KDR) in differentiated cells was evaluated. Results showed the diameter of nanofiber increases with decreasing the BG content in GEL/CS scaffolds. Moreover, in vitro study indicated that the GEL/CS/BGNPs scaffold with 1.5% BGNPs content provided a suitable three-dimensional structure for endothelial cells differentiation. Thus, the GEL/CS/BGNPs scaffold can be recommended for blood vessels repair.

Keywords:

• Endothelial cells
• gelatin/chitosan/bioglass
• human endometrial stem cells
• nanofiber scaffold

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding information

This research has been supported by Iranian National Science Foundation (INSF) grant number 91042417.