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Electrospun Scaffold Containing TGF-β1 Promotes Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation toward a Nucleus Pulposus-Like Phenotype under Hypoxia

Introduction Intervertebral disc degeneration is considered to have a close relation with nucleus pulposus calcification. Electrospunning provides promising strategies for fabricating nanofibrous scaffolds that resemble the extracellular matrix. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great potential ability of proliferation and differentiation, which are suitable stem cell source for nucleus pulposus regeneration. Materials and Methods In this study, we fabricated two kinds of nanofibrous scaffolds. The first kind of scaffold was fabricated by blending TGF-β1, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanofibers and electrospinning (group I). The other kind of scaffold was fabricated using coaxial electrospinning, in which TGF-β1 and PVA formed the central core and PLGA formed the outer layer (group II). Human MSCs were seeded on both kinds of scaffolds and cultured in a hypoxia chamber (2% O2). Scaffold characterizations were examined using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scaffold characterization, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Cell proliferation and differentiation were evaluated after 3 weeks of cell culture. Results Results showed that both kinds of scaffolds shared similar diameter distributions and protein release. However, group I scaffolds were more hydrophilic than that of group II. Both kinds of scaffolds induced the MSCs to differentiate toward the nucleus pulposus-type phenotype in vitro. In addition, the expression of nucleus pulposus-associated genes (aggrecan, type II collagen, and Sox-9) in group I increased more than that in group II. Conclusion Our results indicated that electrospinning nanofibrous scaffolds containing TGF-β1 support the differentiation of MSCs toward the pulposus-type phenotype in a hypoxia chamber. Electrospinning scaffolds by blending TGF-β1, PVA, and PLGA nanofibers would be a more appropriate choice for nucleus pulposus regeneration. Disclosure of Interest None declared