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Abstract:
Cartilage engineering is a new therapeutic approach in regenerative medicine. This study explored the chondrogenic potential of human dental pulp stem/stromal cells (hDPSCs) and adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (hAD-MSCs) grown on a hydrolytically modified poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) electrospun scaffold in relation to the phenotype of primary chondrocytes on PLCL. The effects of PLCL scaffold on the biological features of hDPSC, hAD-MSC, and their chondrogenic differentiation and chondrocytes biology were evaluated via flow cytometry, immunochemistry, biochemistry, and RT–PCR. The results demonstrated that PLCL supported hDPSC, hAD-MSC, and chondrocyte viability and cellular attachment. The chondrogenic potential of hDPSCs and hAD-MSCs on PLCL scaffold was evidenced by the mRNA expression of the cartilage-specific genes. Collagen type II (Col II) and aggrecan (Acan) gene expression and their proteins significantly increased in chondrogenically differentiated hDPSCs and hAD-MSCs on PLCL compared with undifferentiated stem/stromal cells on PLCL. The phenotype of differentiated hDPSCs and hAD-MSCs was comparable to primary chondrocytes grown on PLCL. The results of this study showed that PLCL scaffold promoted chondrogenic differentiation of hAD-MSCs and hDPSCs toward chondrocytes with phenotypic similarities to native chondrocytes. The PLCL scaffold composition has a positive effect on hDPSC, hAD-MSC, and chondrocyte behavior, chondrogenic gene expression, and matrix protein synthesis.

Keywords:
stem/stromal cells, hDPSCs, hAD-MSCs, chondrocytes, chondrogenesis, poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL), cartilage engineering