Evaluation of bone marrow stem cell response to PLA scaffolds manufactured by 3D printing and coated with polydopamine and type I collagen.

The majority of synthetic polymers used in 3 D printing are not designed to promote specific cellular interactions and hence possess limited bioactivity. Most of the strategies proposed to overcome this limitation demand multiple and expensive processing steps. This study aimed to evaluate the surface modification of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) scaffolds with polydopamine (PDA) coating as an alternative strategy to enhance their bioactivity and to facilitate the immobilization of type I collagen (COL I) onto the implant surface. Physical and chemical properties of PLA scaffolds coated with PDA, COL I or both were evaluated. The response of porcine bone marrow stem cells (MSCs) to the coatings was also investigated. The PDA layer improved COL immobilization onto the surface of the PLA scaffolds by 92%. The combination of PDA and COL functionalizations provided the best conditions for early-stage (<7 days) cell response. In addition, the PDA plus COL surface facilitated the robust deposition of extracellular matrix in the first 14 days of cell culture. Although the behavior of the MSCs appeared to be similar for both uncoated PLA and PDA plus COL-coated scaffolds by day 21, cells seeded onto PDA plus COL scaffolds produced substantially higher amounts of alkaline phosphatase. These results indicate that the osteoinductivity of 3D-printed PLA scaffolds can be enhanced by PDA and type I collagen coatings. This surface modification of polymeric scaffolds represents a promising strategy for bone tissue engineering.