The electrically conductive scaffold as the skeleton of stem cell niche in regenerative medicine

• Stem cell, niche and their contributions in regenerative medicine are summarized.
• Fabrication and cytotoxicity of commonly used conductive materials are reviewed.
• Conductive scaffolds for guiding stem cell differentiation are well discussed.

Stem cells with multipotent and self-renewal abilities play a vital role in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. They can assist tissue reconstruction through specific differentiation and secretion of various bioactive macromolecules. More and more studies confirm that the cell-fate commitment can be manipulated via constructing a specific stem cell niche. The construction of specific niches with conductive materials (conducting polymers, carbon nanotubes and graphene) can promote stem cell differentiation towards electro-active lineages and emphasize the promising role of stem cells in electro-active tissue regeneration (e.g., nerve and heart). In this review, we summarize the commonly applied conductive materials for scaffold construction and evaluate their contributions in the regeneration of electro-active tissues.