Preparation and investigation of polylactic acid, calcium carbonate and polyvinylalcohol nanofibrous scaffolds for osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

Objective(s): In this study, the effect of electrospun fiber orientation on proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was evaluated. Materials and Methods: Aligned and random nanocomposite nanofibrous scaffolds were electrospun from polylactic acid (PLA), poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and calcium carbonate nanoparticles (nCaP). The surface morphology of prepared nanofibrous scaffolds with and without cell was examined using scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical properties of electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds were determined with a  universal testing machine. The in vitro properties of fabricated scaffolds was also investigated by the MTT assay and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP).Results: The average fiber diameter for aligned and random nanofibers were 82 ± 12 nm and 124 ± 25 nm, respectively. The mechanical testing indicated the higher tensile strength and elastic modulus of aligned nanofibers. MTT and ALP results showed that alignment of nanofiber increased the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells.Conclusion: Aligned nanofibrous nanocomposite scaffolds of PLA/nCaP/PVA could be an excellent substrate for MSCs and represents a potential bone-filling material.