Osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblasts on a hemostatic gelatin sponge.

Zong-Keng Kuo,Hsiang-Wen Tseng,Chih-Chen Chen,Cheng-Hsi Weng,Po-Liang Lai,Elsie Khai-Woon Toh,Chao-Min Cheng,Pei-Zen Chang

doi:10.1038/srep32884

Abstract

Bone tissue engineering provides many advantages for repairing skeletal defects. Although many different kinds of biomaterials have been used for bone tissue engineering, safety issues must be considered when using them in a clinical setting. In this study, we examined the effects of using a common clinical item, a hemostatic gelatin sponge, as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering. The use of such a clinically acceptable item may hasten the translational lag from laboratory to clinical studies. We performed both degradation and biocompatibility studies on the hemostatic gelatin sponge, and cultured preosteoblasts within the sponge scaffold to demonstrate its osteogenic differentiation potential. In degradation assays, the gelatin sponge demonstrated good stability after being immersed in PBS for 8 weeks (losing only about 10% of its net weight and about 54% decrease of mechanical strength), but pepsin and collagenases readily biodegraded it. The gelatin sponge demonstrated good biocompatibility to preosteoblasts as demonstrated by MTT assay, confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, osteogenic differentiation and the migration of preosteoblasts, elevated alkaline phosphatase activity, and in vitro mineralization were observed within the scaffold structure. Each of these results indicates that the hemostatic gelatin sponge is a suitable scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

Highlights

Provide an environment for osteogenic differentiation; these scaffolds can even have signaling molecules incorporated into them to promote repair and regeneration[2,13]
We employed a framework to examine the potential of a specific biomaterial, hemostatic gelatin sponge, for bone tissue engineering
It is clear that gelatin is useful as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering, but osteogenic differentiation studies employing it remained rare

Summary

Introduction

Provide an environment for osteogenic differentiation; these scaffolds can even have signaling molecules incorporated into them to promote repair and regeneration[2,13]. Hemostatic gelatin sponges are sterile, water-insoluble, malleable, and absorbable They are obtained, inexpensive, biocompatible, and are not known to induce allergic reactions or other harmful side effects[20]. Arias-Gallo et al used gelatin sponges as a carrier of fibroblast growth factors[26] and Skogh et al applied gelatin sponges as an implant for bone regeneration[27]. These studies did not demonstrate their usefulness in regards to cell differentiation. To fully leverage the potential of hemostatic gelatin sponges as a scaffold for tissue engineering, this study has a dual purpose: (1) to examine and report on the physical characteristics of the clinically used hemostatic gelatin sponge, Spongostan; (2) to lay some groundwork regarding the use of this hemostatic gelatin sponge as a scaffold for osteogenic cell differentiation

Methods

Results

Conclusion