TGF-β1 and -β3 for mesenchymal stem cells chondrogenic differentiation on poly (vinyl alcohol)-chitosan-poly (ethylene glycol) scaffold

• Main Authors: Wee, Ai-Sze, Lim, Chin-Keong, Tan, Sik-Loo, Ahmad, Tunku Sara, Kamarul, Tunku
• Format: Article
• Published: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc 2022
• Subjects: R Medicine (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/40408/; https://doi.org/10.1089/ten.tec.2022.0112

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) has been reported to promote chondrogenic differentiation and proliferation in the multipotent stromal cell (MSCs), and the transforming growth factor-beta 3 (TGF-beta 3) tends to be exclusively in promoting cell differentiation alone. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of TGF-beta 1 and -beta 3 on the MSCs chondrogenic differentiation on the poly (vinyl alcohol)-chitosan-poly (ethylene glycol) (PVA-NOCC-PEG) scaffold, compared with that of monolayer and pellet cultures. In this study, P2 rabbit bone marrow-derived MSCs were seeded either on the untreated six-well plate (for monolayer culture) or onto the PVA-NOCC-PEG scaffold or cultured as a pellet culture. The cultures were maintained in a chemically defined serum-free medium supplemented with 10ng/mL of either TGF-beta 1 or TGF-beta 3. Cell viability assay, biochemical assay, and real-time polymerase chain reaction were performed to determine the net effect of cell proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of each of the growth factors. The results showed that the PVA-NOCC-PEG scaffold enhanced MSCs cell proliferation from day 12 to 30 (p<0.05); however, no significant differences were observed in the cell proliferation between the cultures supplemented with or without TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 3 (p>0.05). In terms of chondrogenic differentiation, the PVA-NOCC-PEG scaffold augmented the GAGs secretion in MSCs and the mRNA expression levels of Sox9, Col2a1, Acan, and Comp were elevated (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between both the TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 3-treated groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 3 enhanced the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs seeded on the PVA-NOCC-PEG scaffold; however, there was no significant difference between the effect of TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 3.