Impact of a porous Si-Ca-P monophasic ceramic on variation of osteogenesis-related gene expression of adult human mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract

This work evaluates in vitro the influence of a new biocompatible porous Si-Ca-P monophasic (7CaO.P2O5.2SiO2) ceramic on the cellular metabolic activity, morphology and osteogenic differentiation of adult human mesenchymal stem cells (ahMSCs) cultured in basal growth medium and under osteogenic inductive medium. Alamar Blue Assay and FESEM were carried out in order to monitor the cell proliferation and the shape of the cells growing on the Si-Ca-P monophasic ceramic during the study period. The osteogenic differentiation of ahMSCs was investigated by means of immunofluorescent staining (osteocalcin, osteopontin, heparan sulphate and collagen type I expression), quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) (integrin-binding sialoprotein, osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, osteopontin, osteonectin, runt-related transcription factor 2 and collagen type I) and expression of surface markers (CD73, CD90 and CD105). We could check osteogenic differentiation in ahMSCs growing under the influence of Si-Ca-P monophasic ceramics itself, but especially when growth medium was replaced by osteogenic medium in the culture conditions. These results allowed us to conclude that the new Si-Ca-P monophasic scaffold greatly enhanced ahMSCs proliferation and osteogenic differentiation; therefore, it may be considered to be employed as a new bone graft substitute or scaffold for bone tissue engineering.