Transcriptomics Demonstrates Significant Biological Effect of Growing Stem Cells on RGD-Cotton Scaffold

Stem cell therapy provides a viable alternative treatment for degenerated or damaged tissue. Stem cells have been used either alone or in conjunction with an artificial scaffold. The latter provides a structural advantage by enabling the cells to thrive in three-dimensional (3D) settings, closely resembling the natural in vivo environments. Previously, we disclosed the development of a 3D scaffold made from cotton, which was conjugated with arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid (RGD), to facilitate the growth and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). This scaffold allowed the MSCs to adhere and proliferate without compromising their viability or their stem cell markers. A comprehensive analysis investigation of the molecular changes occurring in MSCs adhering to the cotton fibers will contribute to the advancement of therapy. The objective of this study is to analyze the molecular processes occurring in the growth of MSCs on a cotton-RGD conjugated-based scaffold by examining their gene expression profiles. To achieve this, we conducted an experiment where MSCs were seeded with and without the scaffold for a duration of 48 h. Subsequently, cells were collected for RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, and whole-transcriptomic analysis performed on both populations. Our analysis revealed several upregulated and downregulated differently expressed genes in the MSCs adhering to the scaffold compared with the control cells. Through gene ontology analysis, we were able to identify enriched biological processes, molecular functions, pathways, and protein-protein interactions in these differentially expressed genes. Our data suggest that the scaffold may have the potential to enhance osteogenesis in the MSCs. Furthermore, our results indicate that the scaffold does not induce oxidative stress, inflammation, or aging in the MSCs. These findings provide valuable insights for the application of MSCs in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.