Table 1.
Summaries of polypeptide thermogels for stem cell differentiation
| Thermogel | Characteristics and key properties | References |
|---|---|---|
| Collagen | COL I stimulates osteogenesis of MSCs | [41] |
| Stem cells differentiation into osteoblasts, cardiomyocytes, and neural cells favored in COL I gels, whereas chondrogenic differentiation is preferred in COL II gels | [42–47] | |
| Chondrogenic differentiation of ADSCs was higher in COL II gels than in COL I gels | [48] | |
| Chondrogenic differentiation of ADSCs increased under cyclic hydrostatic pressure | [50] | |
| Gels consisting of stiffer and shorter collagen fibers induced adipogenic differentiation, whereas osteogenic differentiation is preferred in the collagen gels made up of long fibers | [51] | |
| COL I/Nano hydroxyapatite composite system is effective in osteogenic differentiation of MSCs | [60] | |
| Matrigel™ | Matrigel™ stimulated growth of neurite and migration of neuronal progenitor cells | [35] |
| embryonic stem cells cultured in Matrigel™ exhibited dopaminergic neuronal differentiation. | [70] | |
| Neurite outgrowth and branching increased in the presence of retinoic acid | [71] | |
| Subcutaneous injection of tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells in Matrigel™ differentiated into parathyroid-like cells | [73] | |
| ELP | ADSCs differentiated into chondrocytes in an ELP gel under low-oxygen (5%) conditions | [79] |
| Mechanical properties of ELP gels increased by chemical crosslinking, photo-crosslinking, or collagen/ELP composite system | [83, 84, 87, 89] | |
| Osteogenic activity and deposition of calcium increased in the ELP/collagen composite system | [85] | |
| Synthetic polypeptide | BMSCs, ADSCs and TMSCs expressed chondrogenic genes in both PEG-PA and PEG-PAF thermogels | [98–100] |
| TMSCs differentiated into hepatocytes in PEG-PA thermogels | [101, 102] | |
| Differentiation of TMSCS into adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes could be controlled by surface functional groups of the incorporated microspheres in PEG-PA thermogels | [103] | |
| Chondrogenic differentiation of TMSCs improved in RGD-coated layered double hydroxides/PEG-PA-PD thermogels | [104] | |
| Addition of graphene oxide in PEG-PA thermogels enhanced chondrogenic differentiation of TMSCs | [105] | |
| Addition of hydroxyapatite mesocrystals in PEG-PAF thermogels improved osteogenic differentiation of TMSCs | [107] | |
| Sustained release of BDNF and NGF from the incorporated microspheres in PEG-PA thermogels enhanced neuronal differentiation of TMSCs | [108] | |
| Galactose-conjugated PEG-PA thermogels improved hepatogenic differentiation of TMSCs | [109] |