posted on 2023-12-08, 21:05authored byMeenakshi Kamaraj, Amrutha Datla, Simon E. Moulton, Subha Narayan Rath
Multicomponent
composite scaffolds are stimulating biomaterials
that contribute to enhanced physical and mechanical properties and
are able to induce or enhance cell differentiation toward specific
lineages depending upon their composition. In the case of bone tissue
engineering, ceramic components act as “osteoinductive”,
which, when incorporated into a polymer system, helps encapsulated
cells undergo osteodifferentiation. However, formulating a tissue-personalized
bioink to provide an appropriate cell niche is challenging. The reproducibility
of the bioink and its in vitro characterization are crucial for a
scaffold. Here, we show that the composite scaffold drives the human
umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSCs) into osteogenic lineage
without the addition of any growth factors. Our findings demonstrate
that incorporation of Mn-doped BCP into the hydrogel system consisting
of gelatin methacrylate and sodium alginate improved the printability
and mechanical strength of the scaffold. The possible mechanism behind
the enhancement in physical and mechanical properties of bioink is
intermolecular ionic interaction and hydrogen bonding between the
polymer and bioceramic. Biological results indicate that the composite
scaffolds are biocompatible and support cell proliferation during
the course of cell culture. Furthermore, RT-qPCR, alkaline phosphate,
and alizarin red staining were also used to assess the differentiation
ability of cells. The results show that Mn-doped BCP significantly
accelerated the osteogenic differentiation of hUMSCs encapsulated
within the composite scaffolds. Overall, these results validate the
use of Mn-doped BCP bioink for osteo defect regeneration in vitro
and provide intriguing opportunities for mineralized bone scaffolds
to advance in bone tissue engineering using 3D bioprinting.