Layer-by-layer decorated herbal cell compatible scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: A synergistic effect of graphene oxide and Cissus quadrangularis

Abstract

Among various bone regenerative and repair methods, use of osteoinductive scaffold as bone grafts/substitute has gained wide importance worldwide. To develop such osteoinductive scaffold that is more natural and which spontaneously stimulates osteoblast formation without any differentiation media, we prepared electrospun poly ε-caprolactone scaffold which is further modified by means of layer-by-layer method using Cissus quadrangularis callus culture extract and graphene oxide (PCL-GO-CQ). The modified PCL-GO-CQ scaffold was compared with plain poly ε-caprolactone scaffold and poly ε-caprolactone coated only with graphene oxide. Physical properties, such as roughness, wettability, yield strength and tensile strength, of PCL-GO-CQ scaffold were found to be superior. Also, PCL-GO-CQ scaffold showed more in vitro cell compatibility with enhanced cellular proliferation on its surface. Presence of graphene oxide and Cissus quadrangularis callus in scaffold helped in the differentiation of human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells into osteogenic lineage without any differentiation media in less than 20 days. The synergistic effect of Cissus quadrangularis callus extract and graphene oxide in PCL-GO-CQ scaffold enhanced osteoblastic differentiation, osteoconduction and osteoinduction potential of scaffolds making them highly potential in bone regeneration and bone tissue engineering applications.