Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Polyester Scaffolds of Various Architectonics

Abstract: The possibility of improving the biocompatibility of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds for tissue engineering by their seeding with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is studied. The cell seeding procedure can generally affect the physical and mechanical properties of these scaffolds, which are mainly determined by their architectonics. Three types of PLGA scaffolds were manufactured and studied: (1) monolithic blocks fabricated by injection molding, (2) porous scaffolds formed by supercritical fluid plasticization followed by foaming, and (3) fibrous nonwoven scaffolds fabricated by electrospinning. A quantitative XTT test showed no cytotoxicity for all types of studied scaffolds as well as the higher efficiency of the dynamic seeding method in comparison with the static method. Also, already after 48 h of incubation of the scaffolds with cells, their physical and mechanical properties changed both at the macro and at the micro level. It is assumed that these changes are determined by the processes of aqueous and enzymatic hydrolysis of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)s while adhered MSCs altered internal scaffold structure and surface morphology of scaffold surface. Similar transformations of some physicochemical and structural properties of the scaffolds based on other biodegradable polymers or their seeding can also occur as a result of their seeding with various cell cultures, which should indeed be taken into account when applying them for development of tissue engineering constructions. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. 2023. ISSN 2075-1133, Inorganic Materials: Applied Research, 2023, Vol. 14, Nos. 5–6, pp. 1275–1284. Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2023. Russian Text The Author(s), 2023, published in Perspektivnye Materialy, 2023, No. 5, pp. 22–34.