Evaluation of nanocomposite (carbon-graphene) associated with mesenchymal stem cells for reconstruction of maxillofacial bone defects

• Grant number: 24/14256-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Franco Bueno
• Grantee: Otávio Nunes Ferreira Messer
• Host Institution: Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein (IIEPAE). Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein (SBIBAE). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a high potential to differentiate into cell lineages such as adipocytes and osteoblasts. Exposing these cells to different stimuli enables their differentiation to attend specific demands. This makes them extremely applicable to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. With advances in stem cell biology and tissue engineering, bioengineering strategies have emerged for non-invasive alternatives in tissue regeneration, preventing complications of traditional procedures.In this context, biomaterials to produce scaffolds are fundamental in the formation of new tissues, as they influence cell behavior, allowing for proliferation, migration, adhesion and differentiation. Biomaterials such as graphene and activated carbon have great potential as bone substitutes and are applicable to regenerative medicine. Studies conducted by our group have demonstrated the complexity of deciding between osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of MSCs, observing the formation of fat instead of bone in critical defects created at the base of the mandible in medium-sized animal models. It is known that signaling pathways and transcription factors are directly related to cell differentiation, a process that is extremely complex and difficult to predict. This project aims to evaluate and quantify in vitro the processes of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of MSCs associated with different concentrations of graphene. Understanding the behavior of MSCs during these differentiation processes may open new pathways for the assertive development of carbon/graphene-based biomaterials for use in bone tissue bioengineering.