Abstract
Collagen, as the main component of connective tissue, is frequently used in various tissue engineering applications. In this study, porous sponge-like collagen scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying and were then mineralized in a simulated body fluid. The mechanical stability was similar in both types of scaffolds, but the mineralized scaffolds (MCS) contained significantly more calcium, magnesium and phosphorus than the unmineralized scaffolds (UCS). Although the MCS contained a lower percentage (~32.5%) of pores suitable for cell ingrowth (113–357 μm in diameter) than the UCS (~70%), the number of human-osteoblast-like MG-63 cells on days 1, 3 and 7 after seeding was higher on MCS than on UCS, and the cells penetrated deeper into the MCS. The cell growth in extracts prepared by eluting the scaffolds for 7 days in a cell culture medium was also markedly higher in the MCS extracts, as indicated by real-time monitoring in the sensory xCELLigence system for 7 days. From this point of view, MCS are more promising for bone tissue engineering than UCS. However, MCS evoked a more pronounced inflammatory response than UCS, as indicated by the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells in cultures on these scaffolds.
Highlights
Nature-derived polymers that are degradable in the human organism include biopolymers that occur in the extracellular matrix of human and other mammalian tissues, such as collagen, elastin, fibronectin and laminin
We found that mineralized scaffolds provided more suitable support for colonization with MG-63 cells than unmineralized scaffolds but induced greater production of TNF-α in RAW 264.7 cells
Al-Munajjed et al [23], where unmineralized this study, porous sponge-like scaffolds, intended for bone tissue engineering, porous collagen scaffolds showed a loose structure with large, pronounced pores, were prepared from bovine collagen I by freeze-drying and were either left while unmineralized the scaffolds immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF)
Summary
Synthetic and nature-derived polymers are widely used as permanent or temporary scaffolds for cells in hard and soft tissue engineering applications. Both groups of polymers include materials which are either stable or degradable in the human organism. More advanced tissue-engineered replacements, which are generally still under experimental development, are made of degradable synthetic polymers, such as polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, polycaprolactone and their copolymers [1,4]. Nature-derived polymers that are degradable in the human organism include biopolymers that occur in the extracellular matrix of human and other mammalian tissues, such as collagen, elastin, fibronectin and laminin (for a review, see [5])
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