TY - JOUR

T1 - Biomimetic biphasic curdlan-based scaffold for osteochondral tissue engineering applications

T2 - Characterization and preliminary evaluation of mesenchymal stem cell response in vitro

AU - Klimek, Katarzyna

AU - Benko, Aleksandra

AU - Vandrovcová, Marta

AU - Travnickova, Martina

AU - Douglas, Timothy

AU - Tarczynska, Marta

AU - Broz, Antonin

AU - Gaweda, Krzysztof

AU - Ginalska, Grazyna

AU - Bacakova, Lucie

N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Biomaterials Advances. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Biomaterials Advances, 135, 212724, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.212724

PY - 2022/4/30

Y1 - 2022/4/30

N2 - Osteochondral defects remain a huge problem in medicine today. Biomimetic bi- or multi-phasic scaffolds constitute a very promising alternative to osteochondral autografts and allografts. In this study, a new curdlanbased scaffold was designed for osteochondral tissue engineering applications. To achieve biomimetic properties, it was enriched with a protein component – whey protein isolate as well as a ceramic ingredient – hydroxyapatite granules. The scaffold was fabricated via a simple and cost-efficient method, which represents a significant advantage. Importantly, this technique allowed generation of a scaffold with two distinct, but integrated phases. Scanning electron microcopy and optical profilometry observations demonstrated that phases of biomaterial possessed different structural properties. The top layer of the biomaterial (mimicking the cartilage) was smoother than the bottom one (mimicking the subchondral bone), which is beneficial from a biological point of view because unlike bone, cartilage is a smooth tissue. Moreover, mechanical testing showed that the top layer of the biomaterial had mechanical properties close to those of natural cartilage. Although the mechanical properties of the bottom layer of scaffold were lower than those of the subchondral bone, it was still higher than in many analogous systems. Most importantly, cell culture experiments indicated that the biomaterial possessed high cytocompatibility towards adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. Both phases of the scaffold enhanced cell adhesion, proliferation, and chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells (revealing its chondroinductive properties in vitro) as well as osteogenic differentiation of these cells (revealing its osteoinductive properties in vitro). Given all features of the novel curdlan-based scaffold, it is worth noting that it may be considered as promising candidate for osteochondral tissue engineering applications.

AB - Osteochondral defects remain a huge problem in medicine today. Biomimetic bi- or multi-phasic scaffolds constitute a very promising alternative to osteochondral autografts and allografts. In this study, a new curdlanbased scaffold was designed for osteochondral tissue engineering applications. To achieve biomimetic properties, it was enriched with a protein component – whey protein isolate as well as a ceramic ingredient – hydroxyapatite granules. The scaffold was fabricated via a simple and cost-efficient method, which represents a significant advantage. Importantly, this technique allowed generation of a scaffold with two distinct, but integrated phases. Scanning electron microcopy and optical profilometry observations demonstrated that phases of biomaterial possessed different structural properties. The top layer of the biomaterial (mimicking the cartilage) was smoother than the bottom one (mimicking the subchondral bone), which is beneficial from a biological point of view because unlike bone, cartilage is a smooth tissue. Moreover, mechanical testing showed that the top layer of the biomaterial had mechanical properties close to those of natural cartilage. Although the mechanical properties of the bottom layer of scaffold were lower than those of the subchondral bone, it was still higher than in many analogous systems. Most importantly, cell culture experiments indicated that the biomaterial possessed high cytocompatibility towards adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. Both phases of the scaffold enhanced cell adhesion, proliferation, and chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells (revealing its chondroinductive properties in vitro) as well as osteogenic differentiation of these cells (revealing its osteoinductive properties in vitro). Given all features of the novel curdlan-based scaffold, it is worth noting that it may be considered as promising candidate for osteochondral tissue engineering applications.

KW - β-1,3-Glucan

KW - Biphasic scaffold

KW - Osteochondral defects

KW - Regenerative medicine

KW - Stem cells

KW - Tissue engineering

U2 - 10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.212724

DO - 10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.212724

M3 - Journal article

VL - 135

JO - Biomaterials Advances

JF - Biomaterials Advances

M1 - 212724

ER -