Multiple Silk Coatings on Biphasic Calcium PhosphateScaffolds: Effect on Physical and Mechanical Properties and In VitroOsteogenic Response of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Ceramicscaffolds such as biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) havebeen widely studied and used for bone regeneration, but their brittlenessand low mechanical strength are major drawbacks. We report the firstsystematic study on the effect of silk coating in improving the mechanicaland biological properties of BCP scaffolds, including (1) optimizationof the silk coating process by investigating multiple coatings, and(2) in vitro evaluation of the osteogenic response of human mesenchymalstem cells (hMSCs) on the coated scaffolds. Our results show thatmultiple silk coatings on BCP ceramic scaffolds can achieve a significantcoating effect to approach the mechanical properties of native bonetissue and positively influence osteogenesis by hMSCs over an extendedperiod. The silk coating method developed in this study representsa simple yet effective means of reinforcement that can be appliedto other types of ceramic scaffolds with similar microstructure toimprove osteogenic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]