Conditioned media enhance osteogenic differentiation on poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone)/hydroxyapatite scaffolds and chondrogenic differentiation in alginate.

The biochemical factors that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation can provide a means of optimizing culture conditions to develop a tissue-engineered osteochondral construct. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the effects of chondrocyte conditioned medium (CM) on the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured on poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone)/hydroxyapatite (PLA/PCL/HAP) scaffolds and to determine the effect of osteoblast CM on the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs cultured in alginate. In addition, the biomaterial's effect on MSC differentiation was also investigated. MSCs were grown in two groups: (1) on porous PLA/PCL/HAP scaffolds in osteogenic differentiation medium or (2) encapsulated in alginate in chondrogenic differentiation medium. CM was taken from one group and administered to the 'opposite' group in volumetric concentrations of 25% or 50% at each medium change. The osteogenic group samples that were administered chondrocyte CM showed higher alkaline phosphatase activity than the controls that were not administered CM. Additionally, the cells that were given chondrocyte CM had higher osteocalcin and sialoprotein expression than the controls. Samples in the chondrogenic group that were administered osteoblast CM at a volumetric concentration of 50% produced more sGAG than the controls. The aggrecan and Sox9 expression was significantly higher in the samples given 50% CM as compared to the controls. The study also showed that culturing cells in alginate, without differentiation medium, can produce similar levels of differentiation as cells that were administered differentiation medium.