Umbilical-cord-blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells seeded onto fibronectin-immobilized polycaprolactone nanofiber improve cardiac function.

Stem cells seeded onto biofunctional materials have greater potency for therapeutic applications. We investigated whether umbilical-cord-blood-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UCB-MSC)-seeded fibronectin (FN)-immobilized polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers could improve cardiac function and inhibit left ventricle (LV) remodeling in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI). Aligned nanofibers were uniformly coated with poly(glycidyl methacrylate) by initiated chemical vapor deposition followed by covalent immobilization of FN proteins. The degree of cell elongation and adhesion efficacy were improved by FN immobilization. Furthermore, genes related to angiogenesis and mesenchymal differentiations were up-regulated in the FN-immobilized PCL nanofibers in comparison to control PCL nanofibers in vitro. 4 weeks after the transplantation in the rat MI model, the echocardiogram showed that the UCB-MSC-seeded FN-immobilized PCL nanofiber group increased LV ejection fraction and fraction shortening as compared to the non-treated control and acellular FN-immobilized PCL nanofiber groups. Histological analysis indicated that the implantation of UCB-MSCs with FN-immobilized PCL nanofibers induced a decrease in MI size and fibrosis, and an increase in scar thickness. This study indicates that FN-immobilized biofunctional PCL nanofibers could be an effective carrier for UCB-MSC transplantation for the treatment of MI.