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Mesenchymal stem cells encapsulation in chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogels to enhance osteo-differentiation

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Abstract

Background

Recently biomaterials utilized for designing scaffolds in tissue engineering are not cost-effective and eco-friendly. As a result, we design and develop biocompatible and bioactive hydrogels for osteo-tissue regeneration based on the natural polysaccharide chitosan. Three distinct hydrogel components were used for this.

Methods

Hydrogels networks were created using chitosan 2% (CTS 2%), carboxymethyl chitosan 2% (CMC 2%), and 50:50 mixtures of CTS and CMC (CTS/CMC 50:50). Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), degradation, and swelling behavior of design hydrogels were studied. Also, the cytocompatibility and osteo-differentiation potency were examined by encapsulating mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue (AMSCs) on the designed hydrogels.

Results

According to the findings, our results showed an acceptable pore structure, functional groups, and degradation rate of the designed hydrogels for in vitro evaluation. In addition, employing CMC instead of CTS or adding 50% CMC to the hydrogel component could improve the hydrogel's osteo-bioactivity without the use of external osteogenic differentiation agents.

Conclusion

The CMC-containing hydrogel not only caused early osteogenesis but also accelerated differentiation to the maturity phase of osteoblasts.

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Data availability

They are available on the request.

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Funding

This research received no external funding.

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Author notes

  1. Fereshteh Sharifi and Maryam Hassani contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Fereshteh Sharifi

  2. Hard Tissue Engineering Research Center, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Institute, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Fereshteh Sharifi

  3. Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Hasani & Shiva Irani

  4. Department of Pilot Nanobiotechnology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Mohammad Atyabi

  5. Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Hospital, Shanghai, 201299, China

    Baoqing Yu

  6. State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute for Personalized Medicine, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China

    Behafarid Ghalandari

  7. Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China

    Dejian Li & Farnaz Ghorbani

  8. Department of Anatomical Sciences, Medical School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Mohammadreza Gholami

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  1. Fereshteh Sharifi
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Correspondence to Shiva Irani or Mohammadreza Gholami.

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Sharifi, F., Hasani, M., Atyabi, S.M. et al. Mesenchymal stem cells encapsulation in chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogels to enhance osteo-differentiation. Mol Biol Rep 49, 12063–12075 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-08013-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-08013-9

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