Large-Area Aligned Fullerene Nanocrystal Scaffolds as Culture Substrates for Enhancing Mesenchymal Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Multipotency

Development of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC)-based therapies is hindered by the limited availability of adult stem cells. Long-term retention of multipotency and stem-like phenotypes remains a key challenge in the large-scale in vitro expansion process. In this paper, we report the primary example of the use of highly aligned fullerene nanowhisker nanopatterned scaffolds to regulate precisely adhesion and function of hMSCs. Continuously tunable alignment of fullerene nanowhiskers was attained using a simple Langmuir-Blodgett approach. We have found that long-term multipotency retention and regenerative capacity are enhanced in cells cultured on the highly aligned fullerene nanowhisker nanopatterned surfaces mediated by the appropriate cell contractility and nucleus localization of Yes-associated protein. This study highlights the importance of the aligned fullerene nanowhisker nanopatterned surface as an attractive platform for stem cell expansion in vitro and for tissue engineering.