The stimulation of adipose-derived stem cell differentiation and mineralization by ordered rod-like fluorapatite coatings

Preparation and Characterization of Nanofiber Coatings on Bone Implants for Localized Antimicrobial Activity Based on Sustained Ion Release and Shape-Preserving Design

Titanium (Ti), as a hard tissue implant, is facing a big challenge for rapid and stable osseointegration owing to its intrinsic bio-inertness. Meanwile, surface-related infection is also a serious threat. In this study, large-scale quasi-vertically aligned sodium titanate nanowire (SNW) arrayed coatings incorporated with bioactive Cu2+ ions were fabricated through a compound process involving acid etching, hydrothermal treatment (HT), and ion exchange (IE). A novel coating based on sustained ion release and a shape-preserving design is successfully obtained. Cu2+ substituted Na+ in sodium titanate lattice to generate Cu-doped SNW (CNW), which maintains the micro-structure and phase components of the original SNW, and can be efficiently released from the structure by immersing them in physiological saline (PS) solutions, ensuring superior long-term structural stability. The synergistic effects of the acid etching, bidirectional cogrowth, and solution-strengthening mechanisms endow the coating with higher bonding strengths. In vitro antibacterial tests demonstrated that the CNW coatings exhibited effective good antibacterial properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria based on the continuous slow release of copper ions. This is an exciting attempt to achieve topographic, hydrophilic, and antibacterial activation of metal implants, demonstrating a paradigm for the activation of coatings without dissolution and providing new insights into insoluble ceramic-coated implants with high bonding strengths.

Flow Simulation and Gradient Printing of Fluorapatite- and Cell-Loaded Recombinant Spider Silk Hydrogels

Hierarchical structures are abundant in almost all tissues of the human body. Therefore, it is highly important for tissue engineering approaches to mimic such structures if a gain of function of the new tissue is intended. Here, the hierarchical structures of the so-called enthesis, a gradient tissue located between tendon and bone, were in focus. Bridging the mechanical properties from soft to hard secures a perfect force transmission from the muscle to the skeleton upon locomotion. This study aimed at a novel method of bioprinting to generate gradient biomaterial constructs with a focus on the evaluation of the gradient printing process. First, a numerical approach was used to simulate gradient formation by computational flow as a prerequisite for experimental bioprinting of gradients. Then, hydrogels were printed in a single cartridge printing set-up to transfer the findings to biomedically relevant materials. First, composites of recombinant spider silk hydrogels with fluorapatite rods were used to generate mineralized gradients. Then, fibroblasts were encapsulated in the recombinant spider silk-fluorapatite hydrogels and gradually printed using unloaded spider silk hydrogels as the second component. Thereby, adjustable gradient features were achieved, and multimaterial constructs were generated. The process is suitable for the generation of gradient materials, e.g., for tissue engineering applications such as at the tendon/bone interface.

A new hydrogel with fluorapatite nanoparticles for osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells in tissue engineering field

Since scaffolds are engineered to support functional tissue formation, their design and materials play an essential role in medical fields by providing different mechanical function. The aim of this study was to investigate the synthesis and structural characterization of collagen-gelatin (COL-GEL) composite scaffolds containing fluorapatite (FA) nanoparticles as well as evaluation of the osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). First, the composite scaffolds were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The cytotoxicity of scaffolds and various concentrations of FA nanoparticles was studied through MTT assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. Next, the differentiated hADSCs were analyzed using Alizarin red and von Kossa staining, calcium content assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, real-time RT-PCR, and immunocytochemical analyses. According to the characterization analyses, the composite scaffolds were properly integrated. The results also illustrated that COL-GEL composite scaffolds in the presence of FA nanoparticles not only showed no cytotoxicity but also increased ALP activity and calcium deposition as well as the expression of osteogenic genes, including Runx2, Col-I, ALP, and osteocalcin and the synthesis of proteins such as osteocalcin and osteopontin in vitro. The obtained data were confirmed by Alizarin red and von Kossa staining. These results are very promising for further tissue engineering experiments, in which FA nanoparticle incorporation into COL-GEL composite scaffolds is a novel approach that improves the surface COL-GEL composite scaffolds for tissue engineering application in vitro.

Fluorapatite and fluorohydroxyapatite apatite surfaces drive adipose-derived stem cells to an osteogenic lineage

PURPOSE

Hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds are common replacement materials used in the clinical management of critical-sized bone defects. This study was undertaken to examine the potential benefits of fluoridated derivatives of hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite (FA), and fluorohydroxyapatite (FHA) as bone scaffolds in conjunction with adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). If FHA and FA surfaces could drive the differentiation of stem cells to an osteogenic phenotype, the combination of these ceramic scaffolds with ADSCs could produce materials with mechanical strength and remodeling potential comparable to autologous bone. This study was designed to investigate the ability of the apatite surfaces HA, FA, and FHA produced at different sintering temperatures to drive ADSCs toward osteogenic lineages.

METHODS

HA, FHA, and FA surfaces sintered at 1150 °C and 1250 °C were seeded with ADSCs and evaluated for cell growth and gene and protein expression of osteogenic markers at 2 and 10 days post-seeding.

RESULTS

In vitro, ADSC cells were viable on all surfaces; however, differentiation of these cells into osteoblastic lineage only observed in apatite surfaces. ADSCs seeded on FA and FHA expressed genes and proteins related to osteogenic differentiation markers to a greater extent by Day 2 when compared to HA and cell culture controls. By day 10, HA, FA, and FHA all expressed more bone differentiation markers compared to cell culture controls.

CONCLUSION

FA and FHA apatite scaffolds may promote the differentiation of ADSCs at an earlier time point than HA surfaces. Combining apatite scaffolds with ADSCs has the potential to improve bone regeneration following bone injury.

Fabrication and in vitro study of 3D novel porous hydroxyapatite/polyether ether ketone surface nanocomposite

The unique characteristics of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) including low elastic modulus, high mechanical strength, and biocompatibility have made it an attractive alternative for the metallic biomaterials. However, its bioinert property is always the main concern, which could lead to poor osseointegration and subsequent clinical failure of the implant. Changing the surface structure to porous structure and mixing it with bioactive hydroxyapatite (HA) are the common methods, which could be used to enhance the properties of the PEEK-based implants. In this study, friction stir processing was utilized for the fabrication of porous HA/PEEK surface nanocomposite. Scanning electron microscopic image of the nanocomposite surface showed nano-scale roughness of the porous structure. Water contact angle test confirmed the increase in the wettability of the treated specimens. In vitro bioactivity test via simulated body fluid solution, initial cell adhesion, cell proliferation, and cell differentiation assay also confirmed the enhancement in bioactivity of the treated surface in comparison to the bare PEEK. This surface modification method requires no special equipment and would not damage the heat-sensitive PEEK substrate due to the low temperature used during the fabrication process.

Rapid structural regulation, apatite-inducing mechanism and in vivo investigation of microwave-assisted hydrothermally treated titania coating

Owing to the poor bioactivity of microarc oxidation (MAO) coating and the rapid activation ability of the microwave hydrothermal (MH) technique, MH treatment was applied to optimize the in vivo interface status between MAO-treated titanium and bone. In this study, consequently, new outermost layers were prepared using hydroxyapatite (HA) nanorods, HA submicron pillars or sodium titanate nanosheets. The results revealed that the NaOH concentration significantly influenced the surface structure and phase constitution of the MAO samples. Moreover, on enhancing the NaOH concentration, the number of HA phases was decreased. Further, the influence of the NaOH concentration on the interfacial bonding strength was insignificant for concentrations ≤0.5 mol L⁻¹. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that the induction of apatite was accompanied by the dissolution of the HA crystals and there was excellent crystallographic matching with the HA crystals. The in vitro and in vivo analyses revealed that the MH-treated MAO sample with the HA nanorods possessed superior apatite-formation ability and osseointegration, including a small amount of soft tissue and optimal bone–implant interfacial bonding force, thus signifying strong potential for the optimization of the bone–implant interfacial status.

In this work, the micro/nano scale structures of HA nanorods integrated on a titanium were prepared using MAO and MH treatment. The in vivo results indicate that HA crystals play a crucial role in the improvement of the osseointegration.

Rapid Fabrication, Microstructure, and in Vitro and in Vivo Investigations of a High-Performance Multilayer Coating with External, Flexible, and Silicon-Doped Hydroxyapatite Nanorods on Titanium

A high-performance multilayer coating with external, flexible, and silicon-doped hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) nanorods was designed using bionics. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) and the microwave hydrothermal (MH) method were used to rapidly deposit this multilayer coating on a titanium (Ti) substrate, applied for 5 and 10 min, respectively. The bioactive multilayer coating was composed of four layers, and the outermost layer was an external growth layer that consisted of many Si-HA nanorods with a single-crystal structure. The Si-HA nanorods exhibited good flexibility, likely because of their complete single-crystal structures, smooth surfaces, and suitable diameters and lengths. This multilayer coating with a high surface energy was superhydrophilic and exhibited good in vitro bioactivities, such as good apatite formation ability, good cell spreading, and high osteogenic gene expression levels. After implantation in the tibia of rabbits for 16 weeks, almost no soft tissues were formed at the MH treated PEO implant-bone interface. A direct bone contact interface was formed by a bridging effect of the flexible Si-HA nanorods, which further produced a high implant-bone interface bonding strength. The current results demonstrated that the bioactive multilayer layers with the flexible Si-HA nanorods displayed a very good osseointegration ability, showing promising applications in the biomedical field.

Long non-coding RNA HIF1A-AS2 facilitates adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) osteogenic differentiation through miR-665/IL6 axis via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Background

This study was aimed to investigate the role and specific molecular mechanism of HIF1A-AS2/miR-665/IL6 axis in regulating osteogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Methods

RNAs’ expression profile in normal/osteogenic differentiation-induced ASCs (osteogenic group) was from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The analysis was carried out using Bioconductor of R. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes dataset were applied to identify up- and downregulated signaling pathways. Co-expression network of specific lncRNAs and mRNAs was structured by Cytoscape, while binding sites amongst lncRNA, mRNA, and miRNA were predicted by TargetScan and miRanda. ASCs were derived from human adipose tissue and were authenticated by flow cytometry. ASC cell function was surveyed by alizarin red and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining. Molecular mechanism of HIF1A-AS2/miR-665/IL6 axis was investigated by RNAi, cell transfection, western blot, and qRT-PCR. RNA target relationships were validated by dual-luciferase assay.

Results

HIF1A-AS2 and IL6 were highly expressed while miR-665 was lowly expressed in induced ASCs. HIF1A-AS2 and IL6 improved the expression level of osteoblast markers Runx2, Osterix, and Osteocalcin and also accelerated the formation of calcium nodule and ALP activity, yet miR-665 had opposite effects. HIF1A-AS2 directly targeted miR-665, whereas miR-665 repressed IL6 expression. Moreover, the HIF1A-AS2/miR-665/IL6 regulating axis activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Conclusions

LncRNA HIF1A-AS2 could sponge miR-665 and hence upregulate IL6, activate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and ultimately promote ASC osteogenic differentiation.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-018-1082-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Signals in Stem Cell Differentiation on Fluorapatite-Modified Scaffolds

Previously, we reported that the fluorapatite (FA)-modified polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber could be an odontogenic/osteogenic inductive tissue-engineering scaffold by inducing stem cell differentiation and mineralization. The present study aimed to explore which of the signal pathways affected this differentiation and mineralization process. The Human Signal Transduction PathwayFinder RT2 Profiler PCR Array was used to analyze the involvement of potential signal transduction pathways during human dental pulp stem cell (DPSCs) osteogenic differentiation induced by FA-modified PCL nanofiber scaffolds. Based on the results, perturbation studies of the signaling pathways hedgehog, insulin, and Wnt were performed. Moreover, the autophagy process was studied, as indicated by the expression of the microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3A/B-II (LC3-II) and the cell osteogenic phenotypic changes. In a comparison of the cells grown on PCL + FA scaffolds and those on PCL-only scaffolds, the transcript expression of BMP2, BMP4, FOXA2, PTCH1, WNT1, and WNT2 (PCR array-labeled signal proteins of the hedgehog pathway); CEBPB, FASN, and HK2 (PCR array-labeled signal proteins of the insulin pathway); and CCND1, JUN, MYC, TCF7, and WISP1 (PCR array-labeled signal proteins of the Wnt pathway) doubled at day 14 when obvious cell osteogenic differentiation occurred. Phenotypically, in all the perturbation groups at day 14, ALP activity, OPN, and autophagy marker LC3-II expression were coincidently decreased. Consistently, no positive alizarin red staining or von Kossa staining was observed in the specimens from these perturbation groups at day 28. The results showed that when obvious cell differentiation occurred at day 14 on PCL + FA control groups, the inhibition of the hedgehog, insulin, and Wnt pathways significantly decreased DPSC osteogenic differentiation and mineralization. The osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs grown on FA-modified PCL scaffolds appeared to be positively modulated by the hedgehog, insulin, and Wnt signal pathways, which were coordinated with and/or mediated by the cell autophagy process.

Hierarchical Biomineralization: from Nature's Designs to Synthetic Materials for Regenerative Medicine and Dentistry

Biomineralization is a highly dynamic, yet controlled, process that many living creatures employ to develop functional tissues such as tooth enamel, bone, and others. A major goal in materials science is to create bioinspired functional structures based on the precise organization of building blocks across multiple length scales. Therefore, learning how nature has evolved to use biomineralization could inspire new ways to design and develop synthetic hierarchical materials with enhanced functionality. Toward this goal, this review dissects the current understanding of structure-function relationships of dental enamel and bone using a materials science perspective and discusses a wide range of synthetic technologies that aim to recreate their hierarchical organization and functionality. Insights into how these strategies could be applied for regenerative medicine and dentistry are also provided.

Autophagy Modulates Cell Mineralization on Fluorapatite-Modified Scaffolds

As a major intracellular degradation and recycling machinery, autophagy plays an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and remodeling during normal development. Our previous study showed that fluorapatite (FA) crystal-coated electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) was capable of inducing differentiation and mineralization of human dental pulp stem cells. However, how autophagy changes and whether autophagy plays a vital role during these processes is still unknown. In this study, we seeded STEMPRO human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) on both PCL+FA and PCL scaffolds to investigate the osteogenic inductive ability of FA crystals and we observed the autophagy changes of these cells. Scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy images, along with DNA quantitation, showed that both PCL+FA and PCL scaffolds could sustain ASC growth but only the PCL+FA scaffold could sustain cell mineralization. This was confirmed by alkaline phosphatase activity and Alizarin red and Von Kossa staining results. The autophagy RT2 Profiler polymerase chain reaction array analysis showed many autophagy-related genes changes during ASC differentiation. Western blot analysis indicated that several autophagy-related proteins fluctuated during the procedure. Among them, the microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-II protein changes of the ASCs grown on the 2- or 3-dimensional environments at 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, and 21 d reached a peak value at day 7 during osteogenesis. At earlier stages (from day 0 to day 3), the addition of autophagy inhibitors (3-mathyladenine, bafilomycin A1, and NH4Cl) attenuated the expression of osteogenic related markers (osteopontin, alkaline phosphatase activity, Alizarin red, and Von Kossa) compared with the control group. All data indicated that autophagy played an important role in ASC differentiation on the PCL+FA scaffold. Inhibition of autophagy before day 3 strongly inhibited osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of ASCs in the 3-dimensional model. This observation further elucidates the mechanism of autophagy in mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic differentiation.

Prevascularization of biofunctional calcium phosphate cement for dental and craniofacial repairs

OBJECTIVES

Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is promising for dental and craniofacial repairs. Vascularization in bone tissue engineering constructs is currently a major challenge. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevascularization of macroporous CPC via coculturing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human osteoblasts (HOB), and determine the effect of RGD in CPC on microcapillary formation for the first time.

METHODS

Macroporous CPC scaffold was prepared using CPC powder, chitosan liquid and gas-foaming porogen. Chitosan was grafted with Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) to biofunctionalize the CPC. HUVEC and HOB were cocultured on macroporous CPC-RGD and CPC control without RGD for up to 42d. The osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation, bone matrix mineral synthesis, and formation of microcapillary-like structures were measured.

RESULTS

RGD-grafting in CPC increased the gene expressions of osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation markers than those of CPC control without RGD. Cell-synthesized bone mineral content also increased on CPC-RGD, compared to CPC control (p<0.05). Immunostaining with endothelial marker showed that the amount of microcapillary-like structures on CPC scaffolds increased with time. At 42d, the cumulative vessel length for CPC-RGD scaffold was 1.69-fold that of CPC control. SEM examination confirmed the morphology of self-assembled microcapillary-like structures on CPC scaffolds.

SIGNIFICANCE

HUVEC+HOB coculture on macroporous CPC scaffold successfully achieved prevascularization. RGD incorporation in CPC enhanced osteogenic differentiation, bone mineral synthesis, and microcapillary-like structure formation. The novel prevascularized CPC-RGD constructs are promising for dental, craniofacial and orthopedic applications.

Increased acellular and cellular surface mineralization induced by nanogrooves in combination with a calcium-phosphate coating

The current work evaluated the influence of nanoscale surface-topographies in combination with a calcium phosphate (CaP) coating on acellular and cellular surface mineralization. Four groups of substrates were produced, including smooth, grooved (940nm pitch, 430nm groove width, 185nm depth), smooth coated, and grooved coated. The substrates were characterized by scanning/transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Osteoblast-like MC3T3 cells were cultured on the substrates for a period up to 35days under osteogenic conditions. Differentiation was observed by alkaline phosphatase assay and PCR of collagen I (COLI), osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OC), bone-morphogenic protein 2 (BMP2), and bone sialoprotein (BSP). Mineralization was quantified by a calcium assay and Alizarin Red staining. In addition, acellular mineralization was determined after incubation of substrates in just cell culture medium without cells. Results showed that a reproducible nano-metric (∼50nm) CaP-layer could be applied on the substrates, without losing the integrity of the topographical features. While no relevant differences were found for cell viability, cells on smooth surfaces proliferated for a longer period than cells on grooved substrates. In addition, differentiation was affected by topographies, as indicated by an increased expression of OC, OPN and ALP activity. Deposition of a CaP coating significantly increased the acellular mineralization of smooth as well grooved substrate-surfaces. However, this mineralizing effect was strongly reduced in the presence of cells. In the cell seeded situation, mineralization was significantly increased by the substrate topography, while only a minor additive effect of the coating was observed. In conclusion, the model presented herein can be exploited for experimental evaluation of cell-surface interaction processes and optimization of bone-anchoring capability of implants. The model showed that substrates modified with CaP-coated coated nanogrooves display enhanced in vitro mineralization as compared to unmodified controls or substrates modified with either nanogrooves or CaP coatings. However, our results also indicated that acellular mineralization assays are not necessarily predictive for biological performance.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The manuscript describes the possibility to combine the mechanical properties of nanosized topographies with the biochemical properties of a calcium phosphate based coating for improvement of surface mineralization. Interestingly, our results demonstrate that further incubation of our surfaces in SBF type media allowed all surfaces to mineralize rapidly to a high extent. Moreover we prove that nanotexture be used to can stimulate and organize mineralization and that the combination surface of a CaP coating and a nanotexture has the potential to be effective as a bone-implant surface. Such experiments will be of considerable interest to those in the research community and industry, who are focusing on bio-mineralization processes and optimization of modern bone-implants.

Enhanced attachment of human mesenchymal stem cells on nanograined titania surfaces

TiO₂ nanotubes on the nanograined Ti surface improved cell attachment and proliferation together with physical and mechanical properties.

Silver nanoparticle-loaded hydroxyapatite coating: structure, antibacterial properties, and capacity for osteogenic induction in vitro

AgNP-HAC has the potential to be used on the surfaces of orthopedic and dental implants for infection prophylaxis.

Hybrid nanostructured hydroxyapatite-chitosan composite scaffold: bioinspired fabrication, mechanical properties and biological properties

The fabrication of bone scaffolds with interconnected porous structure, adequate mechanical properties, excellent biocompatibility and osteoinductivity presents a great challenge. Herein, a hybrid nanostructured hydroxyapatite-chitosan (HA-CS) composite scaffold has been fabricated according to the following steps: (i) the deposition of brushite-CS on a CS fibre porous scaffold by a dip-coating method; and (ii) the formation of a hybrid nanostructured HA-CS composite scaffold by the in situ conversion of brushite to HA using a bioinspired mineralization process. The hybrid HA-CS composite scaffold possesses three-dimensional (3D) interconnected pores with pore sizes of 30-80 μm. The HA rods with a length of ∼200 nm and width of ∼50 nm are perpendicularly oriented to the CS fibres. Interestingly, the abovementioned HA rods are composed of many smaller nanorods with a length of ∼40 nm and width of ∼10 nm oriented along the c-axis. The hybrid nanostructured HA-CS composite scaffold exhibits good mechanical properties with a compression strength of 9.41 ± 1.63 MPa and an elastic modulus of 0.17 ± 0.02 GPa, which are well-matched to those of trabecular bone. The influences of the hybrid HA-CS composite scaffold on cells have been investigated using human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs) as cell model and the CS fibre porous scaffold as the control sample. The hybrid HA-CS composite scaffold not only supports the adhesion and proliferation of hBMSCs, but also improves the osteoinductivity. The alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization deposition on the hybrid HA-CS composite scaffold are higher than those on the CS fibre porous scaffold. Moreover, the hybrid HA-CS composite scaffold can promote the formation of new bone in rat calvarial defects as compared with the CS fibre porous scaffold. The excellent biocompatibility, osteoinductivity and mechanical properties suggest that the hybrid nanostructured HA-CS composite scaffold has great potential for bone tissue engineering.

Noninvasive Dentistry: A Dream or Reality?

Various caries prevention and repair strategies are reviewed in this article ranging from the use of fluoride to nanohydroxyapatite particles. Several of the strategies which combine fluoride and calcium and phosphate treatments have both in vitro and in vivo data showing them to be efficacious if the surface integrity of the lesion is not breached. Once this has occurred, the rationale for cutting off the nutrient supplies to the pathogenic bacteria without the removal of the infected dentine, a noninvasive restorative technique, is discussed using existing clinical studies as examples. Finally two novel noninvasive restorative techniques using fluorohydroxyapatite crystals are described. The need for clinical data in support of emerging caries-preventive and restorative strategies is emphasized.

Modulation of human mesenchymal stem cell behavior on ordered tantalum nanotopographies fabricated using colloidal lithography and glancing angle deposition

Ordered surface nanostructures have attracted much attention in biotechnology and biomedical engineering because of their potential to modulate cell-surface interactions in a controllable manner. However, the ability to fabricate large area ordered nanostructures is limited because of high costs and low speed of fabrication. Here, we have fabricated ordered nanostructures with large surface areas (1.5 × 1.5 cm(2)) using a combination of facile techniques including colloidal self-assembly, colloidal lithography and glancing angle deposition (GLAD). Polystyrene (722 nm) colloids were self-assembled into a hexagonally close-packed (hcp) crystal array at the water-air interface, transferred on a biocompatible tantalum (Ta) surface and used as a mask to generate an ordered Ta pattern. The Ta was deposited by sputter coating through the crystal mask creating approximately 60-nm-high feature sizes. The feature size was further increased by approximately 200-nm-height respectively using GLAD, resulting in the fabrication of four different surfaces (FLAT, Ta60, GLAD100, and GLAD200). Cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of primary human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) were studied on these ordered nanostructures for up to 2 weeks. Our results suggested that cell spreading, focal adhesion formation, and filopodia extension of hADSCs were inhibited on the GLAD surfaces, while the growth rate was similar between each surface. Immunostaining for type I collagen (COL1) and osteocalcin (OC) showed that there was higher osteogenic components deposited on the GLAD surfaces compared to the Ta60 and FLAT surfaces after 1 week of osteogenic culture. After 2 weeks of osteogenic culture, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the amount of calcium was higher on the GLAD surfaces. In addition, osteoblast-like cells were confluent on Ta60 and FLAT surfaces, whereas the GLAD surfaces were not fully covered suggesting that the cell-cell interactions are stronger than cell-substrate interactions on GLAD surfaces. Visible extracellular matrix deposits decorated the porous surface can be found on the GLAD surfaces. Depth profiling of surface components using a new Ar cluster source and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that deposited extracellular matrix on GLAD surfaces is rich in nitrogen. The fabricated ordered surface nanotopographies have potential to be applied in diverse fields, and demonstrate that the behavior of human stem cells can be directed on these ordered nanotopographies, providing new knowledge for applications in biomaterials and tissue engineering.

VEGF promotes osteogenic differentiation of ASCs on ordered fluorapatite surfaces

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been reported to mediate both osteogenesis and angiogenesis in bone regeneration. We previously found an upregulation of VEGF in adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) when obvious mineralization occurred on a novel fluorapatite (FA)-coated surfaces. This study investigated the effect of FA and VEGF on the growth, differentiation and mineralization of (ASC) grown on ordered FA surfaces. Cells grown on FA and treated with VEGF demonstrated osteogenic differentiation as measured with ALP staining, and obvious mineralization as measured by Alizarin red staining. A combined stimulating effect of FA and VEGF was seen using both indicators. VEGF signaling pathway perturbation using a specific VEGF receptor inhibitor showed the lowest levels of ALP and Alizarin red staining, which was partially rescued when the cells were grown on FA and/or treated with the addition of VEGF. The osteogenic differentiation of ASCs stimulated by these FA surfaces as well as VEGF has been shown to be mediated through, but probably not only, the VEGF signaling pathway. The enhancement of osteogenic differentiation and mineralization supports the potential use of therapeutic VEGF and FA coatings in bone regeneration.

Bioinspired nanostructured hydroxyapatite/collagen three-dimensional porous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

A needle punching and bioinspired mineralization strategy has been developed to fabricate a collagen/hydroxyapatite porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

Hydroxyapatite coatings with oriented nanoplate arrays: synthesis, formation mechanism and cytocompatibility

A novel strategy has been developed to fabricate hydroxyapatite coatings with oriented nanoplate arrays for implants of human hard tissues.

Fluorapatite-modified scaffold on dental pulp stem cell mineralization

In previous studies, fluorapatite (FA) crystal-coated surfaces have been shown to stimulate the differentiation and mineralization of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in two-dimensional cell culture. However, whether the FA surface can recapitulate these properties in three-dimensional culture is still unknown. This study examined the differences in behavior of human DPSCs cultured on electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) NanoECM nanofibers with or without the FA crystals. Under near-physiologic conditions, the FA crystals were synthesized on the PCL nanofiber scaffolds. The FA crystals were evenly distributed on the scaffolds. DPSCs were cultured on the PCL+FA or the PCL scaffolds for up to 28 days. Scanning electron microscope images showed that DPSCs attached well to both scaffolds after the initial seeding. However, it appeared that more multicellular aggregates formed on the PCL+FA scaffolds. After 14 days, the cell proliferation on the PCL+FA was slower than that on the PCL-only scaffolds. Interestingly, even without any induction of mineralization, from day 7, the upregulation of several pro-osteogenic molecules (dmp1, dspp, runx2, ocn, spp1, col1a1) was detected in cells seeded on the PCL+FA scaffolds. A significant increase in alkaline phosphatase activity was also seen on FA-coated scaffolds compared with the PCL-only scaffolds at days 14 and 21. At the protein level, osteocalcin expression was induced only in the DPSCs on the PCL+FA surfaces at day 21 and then significantly enhanced at day 28. A similar pattern was observed in those specimens stained with Alizarin red and Von Kossa after 21 and 28 days. These data suggest that the incorporation of FA crystals within the three-dimensional PCL nanofiber scaffolds provided a favorable extracellular matrix microenvironment for the growth, differentiation, and mineralization of human DPSCs. This FA-modified PCL nanofiber scaffold shows promising potential for future bone, dental, and orthopedic regenerative applications.

Direct role of interrod spacing in mediating cell adhesion on Sr-HA nanorod-patterned coatings

The process in which nanostructured surfaces mediate cell adhesion is not well understood, and may be indirect (via protein adsorption) or direct. We prepared Sr-doped hydroxyapatite (Sr1-HA) 3D nanorods (with interrod spacing of 67.3 ± 3.8, 95.7 ± 4.2, and 136.8 ± 8.7 nm) and 2D nanogranulate patterned coatings on titanium. Employing the coatings under the same surface chemistry and roughness, we investigated the indirect/direct role of Sr1-HA nanotopographies in the regulation of osteoblast adhesion in both serum-free and serum-containing Dulbecco's Modified Eagle/Ham's Medium. The results reveal that the number of adherent cells, cell-secreted anchoring proteins (fibronectin, vitronectin, and collagen), vinculin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) denoted focal adhesion (FA) contact, and gene expression of vinculin, FAK, and integrin subunits (α2, α5, αv, β1, and β3), undergo significant changes in the inter-nanorod spacing and dimensionality of Sr1-HA nanotopographies in the absence of serum; they are significantly enhanced on the <96 nm spaced nanorods and more pronounced with decreasing interrod spacing. However, they are inhibited on the >96 nm spaced nanorods compared to nanogranulated 2D topography. Although the adsorption of fibronectin and vitronectin from serum are higher on 136.8 ± 8.7 nm spaced nanorod patterned topography than nanogranulated topography, cell adhesion is inhibited on the former compared to the latter in the presence of serum, further suggesting that reduced cell adhesion is independent of protein adsorption. It is clearly indicated that 3D nanotopography can directly modulate cell adhesion by regulating integrins, which subsequently mediate anchoring proteins' secretion and FA formation rather than via protein adsorption.

A novel method to apply osteogenic potential of adipose derived stem cells in orthopaedic surgery

Background

A number of publications have reported that adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) have the capacity to be induced to differentiate into osteoblasts both in vitro and in vivo. However, it has been difficult to use separate ADSCs for cortical bone regeneration and bone reconstruction so far. Inspired by the research around stromal stem cells and cell sheets, we developed a new method to fabricate ADSCs sheets to accelerate and enhance the bone regeneration and bone reconstruction.

Purpose

To fabricate ADSCs sheets and evaluate their capacity to be induced to differentiate to osteoblasts in vitro.

Methods

Human adipose derived stem cells (hADSCs) were employed in this research. The fabricating medium containing 50 µM ascorbate-2-phosphate was used to enhance the secretion of collagen protein by the ADSCs and thus to make the cell sheets of ADSCs. As the separate ADSCs were divided into osteo-induction group and control group, the ADSCs sheets were also divided into two groups depending on induction by osteogenesis medium or no induction. The osteogenic capacity of each group was evaluated by ALP staining, Alizarin Red staining and ALP activity.

Results

The ADSCs sheets were fabricated after one-week culture in the fabricating medium. The ALP staining of ADSCs sheets showed positive results after 5 days osteo-induction and the Alizarin Red staining of ADSCs sheets showed positive results after 1 week osteo-induction. The ALP activity showed significant differences between these four groups. The ALP activity of ADSCs sheets groups showed higher value than that of separate ADSCs.

Conclusion

The experiments demonstrated that ADSCs sheets have better capacity than separate ADSCs to be induced to differentiate into osteoblasts. This indicates that it is possible to use the ADSCs sheets as a source of mesenchymal stem cells for bone regeneration and bone reconstruction.

Fluorapatite enhances mineralization of mesenchymal/endothelial cocultures

In addition to the widely used mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial cells appear to be a favorable cell source for hard tissue regeneration. Previously, fluorapatite was shown to stimulate and enhance mineralization of MSCs. This study aims to investigate the growth of endothelial cells on synthesized ordered fluorapatite surfaces and their effect on the mineralization of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) through coculture. Endothelial cells were grown on fluorapatite surfaces and characterized by cell counting, flow cytometry, scanning electron microscopy, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cells were then cocultured with ASCs and stained for alkaline phosphatase and mineral formation. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathway perturbation and basic FGF (bFGF) treatment of the ASCs were also conducted to observe their effects on differentiation and mineralization of these cells. Fluorapatite surfaces showed good biocompatibility in supporting endothelial cells. Without a mineralization supplement, coculture with endothelial cells induced osteogenic differentiation of ASCs, which was further enhanced by the fluorapatite surfaces. This suggested a combined stimulating effect of endothelial cells and fluorapatite surfaces on the enhanced mineralization of ASCs. Greater amounts of bFGF release by endothelial cells alone or cocultures with ASCs stimulated by fluorapatite surfaces, together with FGF pathway perturbation and bFGF treatment results, suggested that the FGF signaling pathway may function in this process.

Regulation of osteoblast proliferation and differentiation by interrod spacing of Sr-HA nanorods on microporous titania coatings

Strontium-doped hydroxyapatite (Ca9Sr1(PO4)6(OH)2, Sr1-HA) nanorods with different lateral spacing (e.g., interrod spacing) values (67.3 ± 3.8, 95.7 ± 4.2, and 136.8 ± 8.7 nm) and nanogranulates were grown on microarc-oxidized microporous TiO2, respectively, to form multilayer coatings. The coatings reveal two kinds of micro/nanoscaled hierarchical surfaces with a similar microscale roughness, e.g., nanogranulated 2D pattern and nanorod-shaped 3D pattern in nanotopography. When hFOB1.19 cells are employed, the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts on the coatings were evaluated by examining MTT assay, expressions of osteogenesis-related genes [alkaline phosphatase (ALP), runt-related transcription factor 2, osterix, osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OCN), and collagen I (Col-I)], ALP activity, contents of intracellular Ca(2+), Col-I, OPN, and OCN, extracellular collagen secretion, and extracellular matrix mineralization. The results reveal that the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts can be directly regulated by the interrod spacing of the Sr1-HA nanorods, which are significantly enhanced on the nanorod-shaped 3D patterns with interrod spacing smaller than 96 nm and more pronounced with decreasing the interrod spacing but inhibited on the nanorods with spacing larger than 96 nm compared to the nanogranulated 2D pattern. The difference in the cellular activity is found to be related with the intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations, which are regulated by variation of the surface topology of Sr1-HA crystals. Our work provides insight to the surface structural design of a biomedical implant favoring osteointegration.