Bone marrow-derived and adipose-derived stem cells on bacterial nanocellulose-chitosan-gelatin-hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) and adipose-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) are both multipotent with therapeutic potential. In this study, a study for bone tissue engineering was performed using both cell types on three-dimensional (3D) bacterial nanocellulose-chitosan-gelatin-hydroxyapatite (BNC-CS-GT-HAp) scaffolds compared to other bacterial nanocellulose-based scaffolds. BM-MSCs and AD-MSCs show superior potential for osteogenic differentiation, mineralization and extracellular matrix formation on BNC-CS-GT-HAp scaffolds. However, compared with AD-MSCs, BM-MSCs demonstrate greater cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, evidenced by higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineral deposition and osteogenic gene expression over 28 days of cultivation. Further investigation of BM-MSCs for a long-term cultivation of 56 days showed extensive bone matrix formation, persistent ECM and mineral deposition, and enhanced scaffold mechanical reinforcement. Under the cultivation of BM-MSCs on BNC-CS-GT-HAp for 56 days, the production of collagen increased to 4.89%wt/wt and the compressive strength increased to 283 MPa. This indicates the potential of BM-MSCs for osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration, even after extended periods in vitro. The results demonstrate the potential of BNC-CS-GT-HAp scaffolds as a promising candidate for in vivo bone regeneration applications.