Fetal Brain Extracellular Matrix Boosts Neuronal Network Formation in 3D Bioengineered Model of Cortical Brain Tissue

The extracellular matrix (ECM) constituting up to 20% of the organ volume is a significant component of the brain due to its instructive role in the compartmentalization of functional microdomains in every brain structure. The composition, quantity, and structure of ECM changes dramatically during the development of an organism greatly contributing to the remarkably sophisticated architecture and function of the brain. Because fetal brain is highly plastic, we hypothesize that the fetal brain ECM may contain cues promoting neural growth and differentiation, highly desired in regenerative medicine. Thus, we studied the effect of brain-derived fetal and adult ECM complemented with matricellular proteins on cortical neurons using in vitro 3D bioengineered model of cortical brain tissue. The tested parameters included neuronal network density, cell viability, calcium signaling, and electrophysiology. Both adult and fetal brain ECM as well as matricellular proteins significantly improved neural network formati...