Expression of collagen type I and II, aggrecan and SOX9 genes in mesenchymal stem cells on different bioscaffolds

Background: Stem cells represent an ideal cell source for application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to their ability to proliferate and differentiate to a wide variety of cell lineages. With recent development of medical sciences and tissue engineering, usage of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, their culture and differentiation on suitable scaffolds are considered as a successful clinical and research strategy. One of the most crucial factors in a successful tissue engineering technique is to choose an appropriate scaffold which allow cell migration transferring of bioactive factors as well as providing optimal growth environment for stem cells. In this study, the ability of two scaffolds is investigated as a suitable environment for the proliferation and differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Methods: This is an in vitro study that was performed in Laboratory of Stem Cell in Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Qom province from April 2013 to February 2014. In this study, two scaffolds including fibrin glue and alginate were prepared as two separate groups and after isolating mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue and adequate proliferation, they were seeded into each scaffold in chondrogenic medium. After 14 days, the evaluation of viability and gene expression of collagen II and I, SOX9 and aggrecan were done by MTT (3-{4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl}-2,5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide) assay and real-time PCR technique respectively. Also, cartilaginous tissue formation on scaffolds was evaluated by histological analysis. Results: According to the obtained results, the fibrin glue scaffold showed significant difference in terms of viability in comparison to alginate scaffold in chondrocyte differentiating medium (P< 0.05). Also the results of real-time PCR analysis showed that the fibrin glue scaffold express cartilage specific genes at a higher level than alginate scaffold. Conclusion: The use of natural fibrin glue scaffold can be considered as a suitable environment for proliferation and differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in cartilage tissue engineering.