Human adipose tissue-derived stem cells and a poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffold produced by computer-aided wet spinning for bone tissue engineering

Bone tissue regeneration remains a major challenge in some clinical situations in which bone is required in large quantities. Novel additive manufacturing processes are increasingly recognized as valuable for producing three-dimensional (3D) biodegradable structures that provide adequate mechanical support for tissue regeneration while also shaping in-growth tissues and favoring the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. In this study, we successfully isolated and characterized a clonal finite cell line derived from human adipose tissue and analyzed for the first time its interaction with a 3D poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffold produced by computer-aided wet spinning, which is an innovative hybrid additive manufacturing technique, to evaluate the suitability of the cell line and scaffold for bone tissue engineering applications. The polymeric scaffold was able to maintain cell adhesion and vitality throughout the entire experimental period. Furthermore, the scaffold ensured cell proliferation activity (+15.3%/day) and osteogenic induction (maximum alkaline phosphatase activity +4579% vs. T0), resulting in an increase in mineralized matrix deposition (+6859% vs. T0) after 35 days of induction. This study suggests that the proposed model might be a promising tool for future bone tissue engineering applications.