Osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in collagen-based 3D scaffolds

Abstract

Collagen is the main protein and component of extracellular matrix, and it can promote the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. Herein, a scaffold composed of carboxymethyl chitosan, hyaluronic acid and collagen was fabricated through covalent crosslinking, followed by investigating the physical and chemical properties of the scaffold. Thereafter, BMSCs were seeded into the scaffold and cultured in complete DMEM. The adhesion, proliferation and live/dead status of BMSCs in the scaffold were measured by a WST kit and live/dead kit. Finally, the alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin secretion were investigated at various time points. The results demonstrated that the collagen-based scaffold could promote the adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCS in comparison with the non-collagen scaffold. This 3D scaffold system provides a general strategy for fabricating collagen-based scaffolds, which can be used as 3D scaffolds in bone tissue engineering.