Stimuli-responsive biomaterials for regulation of dynamic cellular responses toward advanced tissue engineering

In vivo scenario, the cells are influenced by their functions and behaviors, such as cell morphology, migration, proliferation, and differentiation, by microstructures of extracellular matrix (ECM) with physical and biochemical properties. Cells in ECM with a three-dimensional environment are affected by complex and highly dynamic interactions to form cell outcomes with the matrix. To study such dynamic interactions, it is required to dynamically control the environment of the cell. Stimuli-responsive materials are materials designed to react to external stimuli, such as temperature, pH, or light, and have been applied as ideal experimental plots because they can control the dynamic environment of cells by stimuli. Methods of dynamically changing the environment around cells to control cell behavior, including cell adhesion, orientation, migration, and differentiation, are essential to understanding the interactions between cells and matrix. Herein, we examine strategies and techniques for stimuli-responsive materials to regulate cell behavior.