Fate of stem cells grown on the extracellular matrix isolated from cancer cells and their possible applications in tissue engineering

Propagation of stem cells in abundance is essential for use as cell therapy in regenerative medicine. Proliferation and differentiation of stem cells are influenced by interaction between cells and their microenvironment. Extracelluar matrix (ECM) forms the chunk of niche with its components, which is remodelled by the cellular activity. The remodelling and change of ECM components have an impact on cellular activity. ECM plays a vital role in the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells. In the present study, we have examined the proliferative ability of mouse embryonic stem cells (C3H10 T1/2 clone 8) grown on cell-free ECM isolated from KB and MCF-7 cancer cell line cultures, separately, using standard ammonium hydroxide method. The texture of ECM was characterized from images captured with inverted microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The growth of C3H10 T1/2 clone 8 cells over KB-ECM and MCF-ECM was monitored up to 192 h and the doubling time was estimated. KB-ECM promoted growth rate by reducing the doubling time from 23 to 14 h, whereas MCF-ECM prolonged the lifetime of stem cells by extending the log phase of growth. The surface topography of KBECM under SEM showed rough, irregular and meshlike structure compared to MCF-7-derived ECM. This may account for enhanced growth rate of stem cells. The findings underscore the relevance of modifications to scale-up the generation of stem cells for use in regenerative medicine. Further studies are required with different sources of stem cells grown on modified components of ECM to identify the appropriate ECM.