Osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells on poly(ε-caprolactone) nanofiber scaffolds
Received 5 November 2009; received in revised form 28 January 2010; accepted 1 February 2010. published online 08 February 2010.
Abstract
Nanofiber poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning, and their ability to enhance the osteoblastic behavior of marrow stromal cells (MSCs) in osteogenic media was investigated. MSCs were isolated from Wistar rats and cultured on nanofiber scaffolds to assess short-term cytocompatibility and long-term phenotypic behavior. Smooth PCL substrates were used as control surfaces. The short-term cytocompatibility results indicated that nanofiber scaffolds supported greater cell adhesion and viability compared with control surfaces. In osteogenic conditions, MSCs cultured on nanofiber scaffolds also displayed increased levels of alkaline phosphatase activity for 3weeks of culture. Calcium phosphate mineralization was substantially accelerated on nanofiber scaffolds compared to control surfaces as indicated through von Kossa and calcium staining, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Increased levels of intra- and extracellular levels of osteocalcin and osteopontin were observed on nanofiber scaffolds using immunofluorescence techniques after 3weeks of culture. These results demonstrate the enhanced tissue regeneration property of nanofiber scaffolds, which may be of potential use for engineering osteogenic scaffolds for orthopedic applications.
aSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
bDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, India
cDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
dDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Corresponding author. Address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Campus Delivery 1374, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80524-1374, USA. Tel.: +1 970 491 1468.
ABSTRACT