Preparation and Characterization of a Chitosan/Gelatin/Extracellular Matrix Scaffold and Its Application in Tissue Engineering

Previous studies have demonstrated that extracellular matrix (ECM) can be used in tissue engineering due to its bioactivity. However, adipose-derived ECM (A-dECM) has never been applied in bone tissue engineering, and it is unknown whether it would be beneficial to the growth of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). In this study, we produced chitosan/gelatin/A-dECM (C/G/A-dECM) scaffolds via lyophilization and cross-linking; chitosan/gelatin (C/G) scaffolds were used as controls. For the C/G/A-dECM scaffolds, the average pore size was 285.93 +/- 85.39 mu m; the average porosity was 90.62 +/- 3.65%; the average compressive modulus was 0.87 +/- 0.05 kPa; and the average water uptake ratio was 13.73 +/- 1.16. In vitro, A-dECM scaffolds could promote the attachment and proliferation of BMSCs. In the same osteogenic-inducing reagent, better osteogenic differentiation could be observed for the C/G/A-dECM scaffolds than for the C/G scaffolds. Thus, we conclude that A-dECM is a promising material and that C/G/A-dECM scaffolds are a candidate for bone tissue engineering.