Evaluation of biodegradable scaffolding systems suitable for tissue engineering strategies

ANGELINI MARQUIANI, GASTÓN A.; RIZZO, MATIAS; VALENZUELA ALVAREZ, MATIAS; BOLONTRADE, MARCELA F.

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LXVII Reunión Anual Sociedad de Investigación Clínica (SAIC), Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencias 2023; 2023

Critical sized bone fractures are difficult to regenerate into functional structures through the body endogenous healing mechanism alone. External intervention withbiomaterials is necessary for an effective recovery. Allogeneic and autologous bone grafts are widely used as bone substitutes with a high risk of immunological rejection and donor site-associated morbidity, respectively. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is an advantageous material and candidate for manufacturing scaffolds for bone regeneration, in combination with cells involved in tissue repair, such as fibroblast (FIB) and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC). We analyzed and characterized different properties of PRP as a scaffold suitable for cellularization, and established a protocol for PRP activation. Both calcium gluconate and calcium chloride (CaCl2) generated a gel-like structure, with CaCl2 being effective at lower concentration ranges (2-5 mg/ml vs 5-10 mg/ml). Using two different cellularization strategies we assessed diverse niche-cell interactions, demonstrating that PRP scaffolds were not cytotoxic and that both FIB and MSC proliferated on it, degrading scaffoldsata -4,340±0,2721 (% of weight /day) rate. We also showed that FIB and MSC could differentiate into osteoblastic lineage under standard culture conditions in PRP scaffolds. Usinginactivated PRP as a culture medium additive replacing fetal bovine serum (SFB), we found that it generated a proliferative profile similar to SFB, however, when PRP replaced SFB in the osteoblastic differentiation medium, the cells surprisingly differentiated into an adipoblastic lineage. Finally, we evaluated cell adhesion on polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds with and without a PRP coating. PRP was not critical in favoring cell adhesion on PLA. These results offer further information on the use of PRP for regenerative medicine strategies, pointing at the advantages and limitations for its use as a cellularizable scaffold or as a cell culture adittive.