Bioactive polymeric scaffolds for osteochondral tissue engineering:in vitroevaluation of the effect of culture media on bone marrow stromal cells

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of the bioactive scaffold system to initiate bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) differentiation into osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages in various culture media compositions. In the biphasic polymeric scaffolds, the chondrogenic layer contained aligned polycaprolactone nanofibers embedded with chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid, while osteogenic layer carried nano-hydroxyapatite. Many studies for in vitro testing of osteochondral scaffolds incorporate the use of complicated bioreactors or growth factors for the formation of cartilage and bone tissue, thus true efficacy of the scaffold system cannot be determined. The present study compared the effect of several media compositions consisting of osteogenic, chondrogenic components, and control basal media. Scaffolds seeded with BMSCs following 28 days in vitro culture in different induction and basal media were evaluated for osteogenic and chondrogenic markers such as aggrecan, collagen type II, bone sialoprotein, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx-2). Cartilage scaffold layer of the biphasic scaffold resulted in the expression of chondrogenic markers such as aggrecan and collagen type II by BMSCs in control and induction media compositions. The bone scaffold layer supported the expression of osteogenic markers such as ALP and Runx-2 by BMSCs in control and induction media compositions. The cartilage scaffold layer under the osteogenic induction media encouraged the growth of hypertrophic cartilage as marked by the positive expression of Runx-2. Expression of collagen type II and aggrecan on the cartilage layer in basal media was confirmed by immunostaining. These studies suggest that the bioactive scaffolds were able to support the osteogenic and chondrogenic phenotype development in the absence of growth factors and induction media.

Recent advances in biomaterials for 3D scaffolds: A review

“…Biodegradable polymers with tunable degradation rates could be both natural (from human or animal tissues) and synthetic. Their degradation rate depends on molecular weight, the structural arrangement of macromolecules (amorphous/crystal structure), isomeric characteristics, formulation, architecture, and quantity of the material [[109], [110], [111], [112], [113], [114], [115], [116], [117], [118], [119], [120], [121], [122], [123], [124], [125], [126], [127], [128], [129], [130], [131], [132], [133], [134], [135], [136], [137], [138], [139], [140], [141], [142], [143], [144], [145], [146], [147], [148], [149], [150], [151]]. Natural polymer scaffolds usually demonstrate a lack of immune response and better cell interactions while synthetic polymers are cheaper, stronger, and have better functionality although sometimes triggering immune response and toxicity [37].…”

“…These scaffolds should be fabricated so that to regenerate and mimic both the anatomical structure and function of the original soft tissue to be repaired. Polymers are commonly used biomaterials to construct soft matrices that are widely utilized for the production of most of the transplanted organs such as kidneys and liver [2], but also successfully applied for muscles, tendon [151,152], heart valves, arteries [153], bladder and pancreas [154,155] regeneration.…”

Fibrin biopolymer as scaffold candidate to treat bone defects in rats

“…However, for satisfactory cell action, adequate anchoring at the application site is imperative, and may be provided by a biological scaffold. Three-dimensional scaffolds provide a suitable environment for tissue regeneration, acting as a framework for bone formation and are easily implanted with cells, biomaterials or growth factors, thus providing structural and environmental stability for cell and tissue regeneration [16-19].…”

Multimaterial Segmented Fiber Printing for Gradient Tissue Engineering

“…However, 3D-printed gradients and multimaterial prints with these techniques may experience issues such as delamination and poor material interfaces, compromising the mechanical integrity of the structures. 18,19 Despite previous efforts with the development of platforms to create gradients in single hydrogel fibers, 20 it is generally not possible in most 3D printing configurations to print a gradient of discrete variations of materials in a single, continuous fiber, limiting a user's control over complex scaffold designs.…”