Mechanical stimulation improves osteogenesis and the mechanical properties of osteoblast-laden RGD-functionalized polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds.

This article presents the results of the combined effects of RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartate) functionalization and mechanical stimulation on osteogenesis that could lead to the development of implantable robust tissue-engineered mineralized constructs. Porous polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite (PCL/HA) scaffolds are functionalized with RGD-C (arginine-glycine-aspartate-cysteine) peptide. The effects of RGD functionalization are then explored on human fetal osteoblast cell adhesion, proliferation, osteogenic differentiation (alkaline phosphatase activity), extracellular matrix (ECM) production, and mineralization over 28 days. The effects of RGD functionalization followed by mechanical stimulation with a cyclic fluid shear stress of 3.93 mPa in a perfusion bioreactor are also elucidated. The tensile properties (Young's moduli and ultimate tensile strengths) of the cell-laden scaffolds are measured at different stages of cell culture to understand how the mechanical properties of the tissue-engineered structures evolve. RGD functionalization is shown to promote initial cell adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and ECM production. However, it does not significantly affect mineralization and tensile properties. Mechanical stimulation after RGD functionalization is shown to further improve the ALP activity, ECM production, mineralization, and tensile properties, but not cell proliferation. The results suggest that combined RGD functionalization and mechanical stimulation of cell-laden PCL/HA scaffolds can be used to accelerate the regeneration of robust bioengineered bone structures.