title: Tailoring chemical and physical properties of fibrous scaffolds from block copolyesters containing ether and thio-ether linkages for skeletal differentiation of human mesenchymal stromal cells.
abstract: Bioactive scaffolds for tissue engineering call for demands on new materials which can enhance traditional biocompatibility requirements previously considered for clinical implantation. The current commercially available thermoplastic materials, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and their copolymers, have been used to fabricate scaffolds for regenerative medicine. However, these polymers have limitations including lacking of broadly tuning mechanical and degradable properties, and activation of specific cell-scaffold interactions, which limit their further application in tissue engineering. In the present study, electrospun scaffolds were successfully fabricated from a new class of block poly(butylene succinate)-based (PBS-based) copolyesters containing either butylene thiodiglycolate (BTDG) or butylene diglycolate (BDG) sequences. The polyesters displayed tunable mechanical properties and hydrolysis rate depending on the molecular architecture and on the kind of heteroatom introduced along the polymer backbone. To investigate their potential for skeletal regeneration, human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) were cultured on the scaffolds in basic, osteogenic and chondrogenic media. Our results demonstrated that PBS-based copolyesters containing thio-ether linkages (i.e. BTDG segments) were more favorable for chondrogenesis of hMSCs than those containing ether linkages (i.e. BDG sequences). In contrast, PBS-based copolyesters containing ether linkages showed enhanced mineralization. Therefore, these new functional scaffolds might hold potential for osteochondral tissue engineering applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration, MERLN Institute for Technology Inspired Regenerative Medicine, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Honglin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, 40131 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gigli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician" and INSTM UdR of Bologna, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gualandi
authors.affiliation: Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration, MERLN Institute for Technology Inspired Regenerative Medicine, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Truckenmüller
authors.affiliation: Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration, MERLN Institute for Technology Inspired Regenerative Medicine, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Blitterswijk
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, 40131 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, 40131 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Munari
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician" and INSTM UdR of Bologna, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Health Sciences and Technologies - Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (HST-ICIR), University of Bologna, 40064, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: marialetizia.focarete@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Maria Letizia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Focarete
authors.affiliation: Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration, MERLN Institute for Technology Inspired Regenerative Medicine, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: l.moroni@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moroni
mesh_terms: D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D004986:Ether; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D011091:Polyesters; D004986:Ether
keywords: Aliphatic copolyesters; Electrospun scaffolds; Ether and thioether linkages; Human mesenchymal stromal cells; Skeletal differentiation