Controlling mesenchymal stem cell differentiation using oxide thin films

Although vanadium compounds are well recognized for their ability to change from insulator to metal, they may also be used therapeutically to address significant medical issues. In this work, we used vanadium oxide thin films synthesized by the pulsed laser deposition technique to examine human stem cells generated from bone marrow. We used a variety of techniques, such as differentiation staining, phase contrast microscopy, and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), to examine the growth, adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs) on these oxide films over time. Our results indicated that vanadium oxide films affect hBMMSCs adhesion and growth. We will discuss the use of VOx films in biological and medical materials, as well as future research on cells.