Effects of functionalization of PLGA-[Asp-PEG]n copolymer surfaces with Arg-Gly-Asp peptides, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, and BMP-2-derived peptides on cell behavior in vitro.

Functionalization of polymer surfaces has been recognized as a valuable tool to improve their properties that significantly influence cellular behaviors, such as adhesion, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In stem cell-mediated bone tissue engineering, surface multifunctionalization of polymeric scaffolds with cell-adhesive, osteoconductive, and osteoinductive biomolecules is a critical strategy to improve such properties. However, the traditional surface modification techniques such as physical deposition/adsorption, chemical modification, grafting, and plasma techniques have great limitations for immobilization of multiple bioactive molecules due to multistep procedures. Recently, a universal technique based on mussel-inspired self-polymerization of dopamine is developed for multifunctional coatings in a simple way. In our study, we used this newly developed technique to incorporate three biomolecules, cell adhesion-promoting (K)16 GRGDSPC peptides, osteoconductive hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles, and osteoinductive bone morphogenetic protein-2-derived P24 peptides, to functionalize poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-[Asp-PEG]n scaffolds, and the effects on biological behaviors of co-cultured rabbit-derived bone marrow stromal cells in vitro were investigated. The results showed (K)16 GRGDSPC, HAp, and P24 could be immobilized onto the scaffolds through predeposition of polydopamine (pDA) ad-layer, and the surface-modified scaffolds were noncytotoxic as well as the virgin scaffold. The pDA-assisted codeposition of (K)16 GRGDSPC, HAp, and P24 on the scaffold surfaces significantly promoted cell adhesion, proliferation, osteodifferentiation, and mineralization in vitro with synergistic effects. Taken together, the functionalized PLGA-[Asp-PEG]n polymeric scaffolds achieved significantly elevated affinity, osteoconductive and osteoinductive ability, and may be a potentially promising bone graft substitute for bone repair.