Effects of mesenchymal stem cells on the physical and mechanical properties of polyester scaffolds of different architectonics

Abstract

The biocompatibility of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffolds for tissue engineering constructions can be significantly improved by autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) colonization. However, the features of the cell colonization procedure can generally affect the changes in the physical and mechanical properties of these scaffolds, which are mostly determined by their architectonics. To study this issue, in this work, we have formed and investigated three types of experimental PLGA samples: 1). molded monolithic blocks; 2). porous scaffolds formed by plasticization in supercritical CO2 followed by foaming; and 3). electrospun fibrous non-woven scaffolds. The quantitative XTT test showed the nontoxicity of all studied samples, as well as the greater efficiency of the dynamic cell colonization method compared to the static one. After 48 hours of samples incubation with cell cultures, their physical and mechanical properties were noted to change both at macro- and microlevels. These changes, in our opinion, occur due to the processes of hydrolytic and enzymatic PLGA hydrolysis, as well as the effect of adhered MSCs on the scaffold internal structure and surface morphology. Similar transformations of certain physical, mechanical and structural properties of scaffolds based on other biodegradable polymers or their compositions can also occur as a result of their colonization with various cell cultures, which should be taken into account when applying the scaffolds to develop tissue engineering constructions.