Coating of poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds with collagen/glycosaminoglycan matrices and their effects on osteoblast behaviour

Collagen type I and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were immobilized on the surfaces of two types of porous biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds with pore size in the range of 250-320 µm and 400-600 µm. Two methods of coating were evaluated differing in the way of how the fibrillogenesis solution was introduced into the pores. The distribution of the immunostained collagen in the volume of the scaffolds was analysed with a laser confocal microscope (LSM). The total amount of collagen and GAGs was measured by Sirius Red and Toluidine Blue assays, respectively. The potential of the scaffolds for cell colonization and differentiation was tested in a dynamic cell culture system using human osteosarcoma cells (SAOS-2). The proliferation of SAOS-2 cells was measured by determining the DNA content on days 2 and 7, while differentiation was analyzed by Calcium- and Phosphate-Assays on days 7 and 14. Differentiation of cells was improved by increasing the pore diameter of the scaffolds, and artificial extracellular matrix (aECM) coatings had an additional positive effect for the scaffolds of both pore sizes.