Chondroinductive impact of polyethersulfone/benzyl hyaluronate nanofibrous scaffold on human mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract

Over the years, considerable improvements have been made for the repair of cartilage lesions in the field of cartilage tissue engineering. Constructing scaffolds with close similarity to niches regarding biochemical composition and mechanical characteristics with the best efficiency is a great challenge for scientists and researchers in this field. On the other hand, natural polymers such as hyaluronic acid are difficult to be used in scaffolds construction due to some problems arising from their physicochemical properties such as poor mechanical strength. In this study, to overcome this problem a new nanofibrous composite scaffold was constructed using one of the derivatives of hyaluronic acid, benzyl hyaluronate (BH), in combination with Polyethersulfone (PES) and its chondroinductivity potential was measured using human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile tests were performed to evaluate the characteristics of the composite scaffolds. Common chondrogenic markers (SOX9, Col II and Aggrecan) were assessed by Real‐time PCR. Alcian blue staining was performed as well to test possible glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) production. Expressions of mentioned genes and positive staining of GAGs even in those BH/PES groups which were not treated with chondrogenic differentiation medium confirmed the chondro‐inductive potential of composite PES/BH scaffolds. Although BH has an accepted effect on induction of cartilage, incorporating BH with another polymer such as PES and enhancing the mechanical properties, and thus easier handling of the scaffold can be an effective step in making niche‐like scaffolds.