In Vitro Biocompatibility Assessment of Bioengineered PLA-Hydrogel Core-Shell Scaffolds with Mesenchymal Stromal...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Stem Cell Biology

Background:

• Human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) are crucial in regenerative medicine.
• Composite scaffolds are being developed to enhance bone regeneration.
• 3D-printed scaffolds offer tailored structures for cell integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the biocompatibility of novel core-shell composite scaffolds with bone-marrow-derived hMSCs (BM-hMSCs).
• To assess the capacity of these scaffolds to promote bone regeneration and mineralization.
• To investigate the influence of osteogenic medium and supplements on cell differentiation and matrix formation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of polylactic acid (PLA) core scaffolds with varying amounts of gelatin-chitosan (CH) hydrogel.
• Culture of BM-hMSCs within PLA-CH scaffolds under different medium conditions (GM vs. OM with FBS or hPL).
• Assessment of cell viability, proliferation, morphology, differentiation markers (osteocalcin, osteopontin, BMP-2, collagen I), mineralization (Von Kossa, EDS), and mechanical properties.

Main Results:

• PLA-CH scaffolds demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, supporting BM-hMSC viability, proliferation, and spreading.
• BM-hMSCs cultured in osteogenic medium exhibited osteogenic differentiation and matrix mineralization.
• Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence and co-localization of calcium and phosphorus, indicating hydroxyapatite formation.

Conclusions:

• The composite PLA-CH scaffolds effectively support BM-hMSCs for osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration.
• The combination of BM-hMSCs and PLA-CH scaffolds shows significant potential for clinical bone regeneration applications.
• These findings highlight the osteogenic capacity of the developed scaffold system under specific differentiation conditions.