Abstract
Introduction
In recent years, interest in magnetic biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering has increased considerably. A type of magnetic scaffold composed of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and hydroxyapatite (HA) for bone repair has been developed by our research group.
Aim and methods
In this study, to investigate the influence of the MNP content (in the scaffolds) on the cell behaviors and the interactions between the magnetic scaffold and the exterior magnetic field, a series of MNP-HA magnetic scaffolds with different MNP contents (from 0.2% to 2%) were fabricated by immersing HA scaffold into MNP colloid. ROS 17/2.8 and MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured on the scaffolds in vitro, with and without an exterior magnetic field, respectively. The cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation were evaluated via scanning electron microscopy; confocal laser scanning microscopy; and 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), alkaline phosphatase, and bone gla protein activity tests.
Results
The results demonstrated the positive influence of the magnetic scaffolds on cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Further, a higher amount of MNPs on the magnetic scaffolds led to more significant stimulation.
Conclusion
The magnetic scaffold can respond to the exterior magnetic field and engender some synergistic effect to intensify the stimulating effect of a magnetic field to the proliferation and differentiation of cells.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank National Basic Research Program of China (National 973 program, Nos 2011CB606206, 2012CB619103), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31070849, 51133004), the Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province (2009HH0001, 2009SZ0137), and the Ministry of Science and Technology (2010DFA51550).
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
Supplementary figures
Figure S2 FTIR spectra of MNPs.
Abbreviation: IR, infrared; FTIR, fourier transform infrared; MNP, magnetic nanoparticles.
![Figure S2 FTIR spectra of MNPs.Abbreviation: IR, infrared; FTIR, fourier transform infrared; MNP, magnetic nanoparticles.](/cms/asset/ba496d89-27fb-4ca8-a803-efdee22daef5/dijn_a_32264_sf0002_b.jpg)
Figure S3 TG and DSC curves of MNPs.
Abbreviations: DSC, differential scanning calorimetry; TG, thermo gravimetric; MNPs, magnetic nanoparticles.
![Figure S3 TG and DSC curves of MNPs.Abbreviations: DSC, differential scanning calorimetry; TG, thermo gravimetric; MNPs, magnetic nanoparticles.](/cms/asset/196e3d97-2b31-45ed-bb63-e3e91c08bd63/dijn_a_32264_sf0003_c.jpg)