posted on 2024-01-05, 22:29authored byEmiliana De Santis, Nilofar Faruqui, Craig T. Russell, James E. Noble, Ibolya E. Kepiro, Katharine Hammond, Maria Tsalenchuk, Eugeni M. Ryadnov, Magda Wolna, Mark D. Frogley, Christopher J. Price, Ivana Barbaric, Gianfelice Cinque, Maxim G. Ryadnov
Extracellular matrices interface with cells to promote
cell growth
and tissue development. Given this critical role, matrix mimetics
are introduced to enable biomedical materials ranging from tissue
engineering scaffolds and tumor models to organoids for drug screening
and implant surface coatings. Traditional microscopy methods are used
to evaluate such materials in their ability to support exploitable
cell responses, which are expressed in changes in cell proliferation
rates and morphology. However, the physical imaging methods do not
capture the chemistry of cells at cell–matrix interfaces. Herein,
we report hyperspectral imaging to map the chemistry of human primary
and embryonic stem cells grown on matrix materials, both native and
artificial. We provide the statistical analysis of changes in lipid
and protein content of the cells obtained from infrared spectral maps
to conclude matrix morphologies as a major determinant of biochemical
cell responses. The study demonstrates an effective methodology for
evaluating bespoke matrix materials directly at cell–matrix
interfaces.