The effect of mineral coating morphology on mesenchymal stem cell attachment and expansion

Previous studies have demonstrated the influence of calcium phosphate (CaP) mineral coating characteristics on cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. However, the wide range of mineral properties that can potentially influence cell behavior calls for an efficient platform to screen for the effects of specific mineral properties. To address this need, we have developed an efficient well-plate format to probe for the effects of mineral coating properties on stem cell behavior. Specifically, here we systematically controlled mineral coating morphology by modulating ion concentrations in modified simulated body fluids (mSBF) during mineral nucleation and growth. We found that mineral micro-morphology could be gradually changed from spherulitic, to plate-like, to net-like depending on [Ca²⁺] and [PO₄^3-] in mSBF solutions, while other mineral properties (Ca/P ratio, crystallinity, dissolution rate) remained constant. Differences in mineral morphology resulted in significant differences in stem cell attachment and expansion in vitro. These findings suggest that an enhanced throughput mineral coating format may be useful to identify mineral coating properties for optimal stem cell attachment and expansion, which may ultimately permit efficient intraoperative seeding of patient derived stem cells.