Effects of SIS/PLGA porous scaffolds and muscle-derived stem cell on the formation of tissue engineered bone

Tissue engineering techniques require the use of a porous biodegradable/bioresorbable scaffold, which serves as a three-dimensional template for initial cell attachment and subsequent tissue formation in both in vitro and in vivo. Small intestinal submucosa (SIS) has been investigated as a source of collagenous tissue with the potential to be used as biomaterials because of its inherent strength and biocompatibility. SIS-loaded poly(L-lactide-co-glicolide) (PLGA) scaffolds were prepared by solvent casting/particle leaching. Characterizations of SIS/PLGA scaffold were carried out by SEM, mercury porosimeter, and so on. Muscle-derived stem cells can be differentiated in culture into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and even myoblasts by the controlling the culture environment. Cellular viability and proliferation were assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide (MTT) test. Osteogenic differential cells were analyzed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. SIS/PLGA scaffolds were implanted into the back of athymic nude mouse to observe the effect of SIS on the osteoinduction compared with controlled PLGA scaffolds. Thin sections were cut from paraffin embedded tissues and histological sections were conducted hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Trichrome, and von Kossa. We observed that bone formation of SIS/PLGA hybrid scaffold as natural/synthetic scaffold was better than that of only PLGA scaffold. It can be explained that SIS contains various kinds of bioactive molecules for osteoinduction.