Hydrostatic Pressure Stimulation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Seeded on Collagen-Based Artificial Extracellular Matrices

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) from marrow are considered a promising cell source for bone tissue engineering applications because of their ability to differentiate into cells of the osteoblastic lineage. Mechanical stimulation is able to promote osteogenic differentiation of hMSC; however, the use of hydrostatic pressure (HP) has not been well studied. Artificial extracellular matrices containing collagen and chondroitin sulfate (CS) have promoted the expression of an osteoblastic phenotype by hMSCs. However, there has been little research into the combined effects of biochemical stimulation by matrices and simultaneous mechanical stimulation. In this study, artificial extracellular matrices generated from collagen and/or CS were coated onto polycaprolactone-co-lactide substrates, seeded with hMSCs and subjected to cyclic HP at various time points during 21 days after cell seeding to investigate the effects of biochemical, mechanical, and combined biochemical and mechanical stimulations. Cell differentiation was assessed by analyzing the expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) at the protein- and mRNA levels, as well as for calcium accumulation. The timing of HP stimulation affected hMSC proliferation and expression of ALP activity. HP stimulation after 6 days was most effective at promoting ALP activity. CS-containing matrices promoted the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. A combination of both CS-containing matrices and cyclic HP yields optimal effects on osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs on scaffolds compared with individual responses. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4000194]