The Effects of Fibrin–icariin Nanoparticle Loaded in Poly (lactic‑co‑glycolic) Acid Scaffold as a Localized Delivery System on Chondrogenesis of Human Adipose‑derived Stem Cells

Abstract

Background: Nowadays, cartilage tissue engineering is the best candidate for regeneration of cartilage defects. This study evaluates the effect of fibrin/icariin (ICA) nanoparticles (F/I NPs) on chondrogenesis of stem cells. Materials and Methods: F/I NPs were characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering DLS. Poly (lactic‑co‑glycolic) acid (PLGA)‑F/I NP scaffold was fabricated and assessed by scanning electron microscope. Human adipose‑derived stem cells (hADSCs) were seeded on scaffold and induced for chondrogenesis. After 14 days, cell viability and gene expression were analyzed by the 3‑(4, 5‑ dimethylthiazol‑2yl)‑2, 5‑diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. MTT assay and real‑time polymerase chain reaction (RT‑PCR). Results: The size and surface charge of F/I NP were about 28–30 nm and − 17, respectively. The average of pore size of PLGA and PLGA–fibrin/ICA was 230 and 340 µm, respectively. Cell viability of differentiated cells in P/F group was higher than others significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, quantitative RT‑PCR analysis demonstrated that ICA upregulated cartilaginous‑specific gene expression. Furthermore, the results of the expression of type I collagen revealed that ICA downregulated this gene significantly (P < 0.01). Conclusions: The results indicated that F/I NP could be a potential factor for chondrogenesis of stem cells and downregulation of fibrocartilage marker.