3D Biomimetic Scaffold for Growth Factor Controlled Delivery: An In-Vitro Study of Tenogenic Events on Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells

The present work described a bio-functionalized 3D fibrous construct, as an interactive teno-inductive graft model to study tenogenic potential events of human mesenchymal stem cells collected from Wharton’s Jelly (hWJ-MSCs). 3D-biomimetic and bioresorbable scaffold was functionalized with nanocarriers for the local controlled delivery factor, i.e., Growth Differentiation factor 5 (hGDF-5). Significant results in terms gene expression were obtained. Namely, up-regulation Scleraxis (350-fold, p ? 0.05), type I Collagen (8-fold), Decorin (2.5-fold), Tenascin-C (1.3-fold) detected at day 14; on other hand, when hGDF-5 supplemented external medium only (in absence nanocarriers), limited effect evident. Teno-inductive environment also induced pro-inflammatory, (IL-6 (1.6-fold), TNF (45-fold, 0.001), IL-12A (1.4-fold)), anti-inflammatory (IL-10 (120-fold) TGF-?1 (1.8-fold)) cytokine upregulation 14. presented construct opens perspectives drug devices promote teno-regenerative events.