Bone Regeneration Using Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Injectable Thermo-Gelling Hydrogel Scaffold Containing...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Bone regeneration is crucial for treating bone defects.
• Developing effective scaffolds for stem cell delivery is essential for bone tissue engineering.
• Biocompatible hydrogels offer promising matrices for cell encapsulation and delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel thermo-gelling hydrogel scaffold (HA-CPN) for bone regeneration.
• To assess the efficacy of combining HA-CPN with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) for enhancing osteogenesis.
• To investigate the in vitro and in vivo performance of the composite scaffold for rabbit adipose-derived stem cell (rASC) delivery.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a hyaluronic acid-g-chitosan-g-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (HA-CPN) thermo-gelling hydrogel.
• Incorporation of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) microparticles and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into the HA-CPN matrix.
• In vitro assessment of rabbit adipose-derived stem cells (rASCs) proliferation and osteogenic differentiation within the hydrogel.
• In vivo implantation of the composite scaffold/rASC construct in rabbit critical-sized calvarial bone defects.

Main Results:

• The HA-CPN/PRP/BCP composite hydrogel demonstrated superior in vitro osteogenic differentiation of rASCs compared to HA-CPN alone.
• Enhanced cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposition, and osteogenic gene expression were observed in the composite group.
• Successful new bone formation was confirmed in vivo at the defect site using micro-computed tomography, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses.

Conclusions:

• The thermo-gelling HA-CPN hydrogel, fortified with PRP and BCP, serves as an effective injectable cell carrier for bone tissue engineering.
• This composite scaffold significantly promotes the osteogenesis of rASCs, demonstrating potential for clinical applications in bone regeneration.
• The combination of osteo-inductive (PRP) and osteo-conductive (BCP) factors within the hydrogel scaffold enhances bone formation.