Abstract
Polycaprolactone (PCL), a hydrophobic-degradable polyester, has been widely investigated and extensively developed, to increase the biocompatibility for tissue engineering. This research was the first trial to evaluate the intrinsic biological responses of human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hWJMSCs) cultured on alkaline hydrolysis and low-pressure oxygen plasma modified 2D and 3D PCL scaffolds, without adding any differentiation inducers; this has not been reported before. Four types of the substrate were newly established: 2D plasma-treated PCL (2D-TP), 2D non-plasma-treated PCL (2D-NP), 3D plasma-treated PCL (3D-TP), and 3D non-plasma-treated PCL (3D-NP). Physicochemical characterization revealed that only plasma-treated PCL scaffolds significantly increased the hydrophilicity and % oxygen/carbon ratio on the surfaces. The RMS roughness of 3D was higher than 2D conformation, whilst the plasma-treated surfaces were rougher than the non-plasma treated ones. The cytocompatibility test demonstrated that the 2D PCLs enhanced the initial cell attachment in comparison to the 3Ds, indicated by a higher expression of focal adhesion kinase. Meanwhile, the 3Ds promoted cell proliferation and migration as evidence of higher cyclin-A expression and filopodial protrusion, respectively. The 3Ds potentially protected the cell from apoptosis/necrosis but also altered the pluripotency/differentiation-related gene expression. In summary, the different configuration and surface properties of PCL scaffolds displayed the significant potential and effectiveness for facilitating stem cell growth and differentiation in vitro. The cell–substrate interactions on modified surface PCL may provide some information which could be further applied in substrate architecture for stem cell accommodation in cell delivery system for tissue repair.
Highlights
This research was the first to reveal the effects of alkaline hydrolysis and oxygen-plasma modification surface of 2D and 3D polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds on cytocompatibility and cell-substrate mechanotransduction through human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells
The smallest contact angle was observed for 2D plasma-treated PCL (2D-TP), which was completely wet at 30 s, compared with 60 s for 3D plasma-treated PCL (3D-TP)
This research was the first trial to evaluate the intrinsic biological responses of human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hWJMSCs) cultured on alkaline hydrolysis and low-pressure oxygen plasma modified 2D and 3D PCL scaffolds, and without adding any differentiation inducers. Both 2D and 3D PCL scaffolds enhanced cell attachment and proliferation compared to a commercial substrate (PS) but slightly altered the stemness properties
Summary
This research was the first to reveal the effects of alkaline hydrolysis and oxygen-plasma modification surface of 2D and 3D polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds on cytocompatibility and cell-substrate mechanotransduction through human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hWJMSCs). The PCL has been extensively applied in tissue engineering for many years, worldwide laboratories continuously developed the well-designed biomaterials, to support and facilitate cell growth and propagation. Not all biomaterials can support all cell types, including stem cells. The establishment of a cell-friendly material facilitating cell adhesion, propagation, homing, and accommodating without using any growth factor or inducing molecule might offer some advantages for a new generation of multidisciplinary cell-based tissue engineering. Most regenerative medicine and tissue engineering techniques are based on exogenous cell-culture systems that may induce graft versus host disease. Endogenous regenerative medicine has been developed so that the patient’s own cells or tissues are used [6] to support and promote cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation, thereby increasing intrinsic regenerative capacity after transplantation [7]
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