Testing the Biocompatibility of Fully Porous Ceramics for Bone Tissue Engineering

A suitable cell-free scaffold for use in bone tissue engineering should promote cell migration into the site of the defect and should further support cell adhesion. The ceramic scaffolds consisting of hydroxyapatite (HA) or... [ view full abstract ]

A suitable cell-free scaffold for use in bone tissue engineering should promote cell migration into the site of the defect and should further support cell adhesion. The ceramic scaffolds consisting of hydroxyapatite (HA) or tricalcium phosphate (TCP) are biocompatible with hard tissues, offer osteoconductivity and bioactivity and, moreover, are not cytotoxic. Controlled degradation of ceramic scaffolds offers sufficient support until the new bone is formed. Furthermore, hydroxyapatite scaffolds are materials widely used in regeneration of bone. HA enhances the bioactivity of the scaffold as it provides a source of calcium and phosphate ions that are important for the process of bone mineralization. The present study focuses on comparison of four differently composed ceramic scaffolds and their effect on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) adhesion, proliferation and metabolic activity. 

Ceramic scaffolds were seeded with hMSC and cultured for 14 days in growth medium. The metabolic activity of cells was determined using the MTS assay, cell proliferation was measured by the PicoGreen assay, adhesion and proliferation was further monitored by confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. According to the obtained data, all of the tested materials are biocompatible. However, the HA/TCP scaffold showed to be the most promising in hMSC stimulation. The topic will be further investigated.

Acknowledgement: This study has been supported by the Internal Grant Agency of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (MZ-VES project no. 17-31276A) and the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic (Research Program NPU I:LO1309 and LO1508).