Triazine-Trione Thermosets with High Processability for Scaffold Applications in Bone Tissue Engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Current biomaterials for tissue engineering often face challenges with processability and biological efficacy.
• Novel triazine-trione (TATO)-based thermosets, T-ene and T-yne, were developed to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the initial cellular response of bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BMSC) on TATO materials.
• To assess the osteogenic potential of TATO materials for bone tissue engineering applications.

Main Methods:

• In vitro cell behavior assays and chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays were used to assess biocompatibility.
• RNA sequencing was performed on BMSC cultured on TATO materials and polycaprolactone (PCL) to analyze transcriptomic profiles.
• Osteogenic gene expression and differentiation assays (Alkaline Phosphatase activity, Alizarin Red R staining) were conducted after 14 days in osteogenic media.

Main Results:

• T-ene and T-yne exhibited biocompatibility comparable to PCL.
• Transcriptomic analysis revealed upregulation of mitotic processes in BMSC on T-ene compared to T-yne and PCL.
• Distinct gene regulation patterns were observed for osteogenic genes in BMSC on TATO materials versus PCL, although differentiation assays showed no significant differences.

Conclusions:

• T-ene and T-yne are biocompatible and formable materials suitable for initial consideration in bone tissue engineering.
• Further research is needed to fully elucidate the osteogenic potential and optimize differentiation on TATO-based scaffolds.