Preparation and characterization of electrospun polycaprolactone/brushite scaffolds to promote osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract

Bone tissue engineering aims to develop effective strategies for repairing or replacing damaged bone tissue. In this study, composite scaffolds consisting of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCDP, brushite) as a bone phase mineral precursor with different weight percentages (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 10%) in combination with polycaprolactone (PCL) were fabricated by electrospinning technique. The morphology and mechanical behavior of scaffolds were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and tensile strength test, respectively. The bioactivity of scaffolds was assessed in simulated body fluid. Adhesion, viability, proliferation, and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from the human bone marrow on scaffolds were investigated using electron microscopy, MTT assay, live-dead assay, alizarin red staining, alkaline phosphatase activity and, gene expression analysis by real-time PCR. The results showed that the scaffold containing 3 wt. % of DCDP had the highest tensile strength (15.35 MPa). Furthermore, cells seeded on scaffolds showed over 80% viability after 1, 3, 7 days of incubation. Also, the results showed that the addition of DCDP to the PCL significantly increased the alkaline phosphatase activity. The osteocalcin gene expression in the composite scaffold showed a 6.1-fold increase compared to the pure PCL scaffold. It is concluded that electrospun PCL scaffolds containing DCDP with optimum concentration can be a proper candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.