Cardiogel supports adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of stem cells with increased oxidative stress protection

Cultured murine bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) when grown along with cardiogel derived from mouse cardiac fibroblast, exhibited increased cell proliferation and differentiation and enhanced survival under oxidative stress induced by the exposure of H 2 O 2 in vitro (similar to in vivo ischemia like condition).Adhesion of BMSC to the cardiogel occurred at a faster rate when compared to the cells grown on normal surface.BMSC attached to cardiogel showed an increased resistance to proteolytic (enzymatic) disassociation.This is the first report on an attempt to use an in house biomaterial for the growth of BMSC that led to their heightened resistance towards oxidative stress.These studies support that cardiogel is an efficient biodegradable three-dimensional extracellular matrix which supports better growth of BMSC and can be used as a scaffold for stem cell delivery, with potential therapeutic applications in cardiac tissue regeneration.