Regeneration of biodisc using annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus cell on PLGA/DBP hybrid scaffold

We fabricated poly(lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) scaffolds impregnated 0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 wt% demieneralized bone particle(DBP)(PLGA/DBP) to investigate the effect of cell viability and proliferation of intervertebral disc(IVD) cells. PLGA is a biodegradable synthetic polymer with acceptable mechanical strength and well-controlled degradation rate. DBP contains bioactive molecules. Annulus fibrosus(AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were seeded in PLGA and PLGA/DBP scaffold to evaluate mRNA expression and a proliferation of AF and NP cells according to content of DBP. Cellular viability and proliferation were assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthia-zole-2-l)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide(MTT) test. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was assessed to measure mRNA expression for Type I collagen and Type II collagen of IVD cells in scaffolds. Scaffolds were implanted in subcutaneous of athymic nude mouse for histology in vivo. The formation of disc-like tissue appeared in PLGA/DBP scaffold than control. Especially, 40 and 80 wt% of DBP positively affected to proliferation and maintenance of phenotype in scaffold. These information would contribute to design of PLGA/DBP scaffold for tissue engineered IVD regeneration.