Synthetic hydrogel-amorphous calcium phosphate composites are promising candidates to substitute biologically sourced scaffolds for bone repair. While the hydrogel matrix serves as a template for stem cell colonisation, amorphous calcium phosphate s provide mechanical integrity with the potential to stimulate osteogenic differentiation. Here, we utilise composites of poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels and differently stabilised amorphous calcium phosphate to investigate potential effects on attachment and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. We found that functionalisation with integrin binding motifs in the form of RGD tripeptide was necessary to allow adhesion of large numbers of cells in spread morphology. Slow dissolution of amorphous calcium phosphate mineral in the scaffolds over at least 21 days was observed, resulting in the release of calcium and zinc ions into the cell culture medium. While we qualitatively observed an increasingly mineralised extracellular matrix along with calcium deposition in the presence of amorphous calcium phosphate-loaded scaffolds, we did not observe significant changes in the expression of selected osteogenic markers.

合成水凝胶-无定形磷酸钙复合材料是替代生物来源支架进行骨修复的有前途的候选材料。虽然水凝胶基质充当干细胞定植的模板，但无定形磷酸钙提供了机械完整性，并具有刺激成骨分化的潜力。在这里，我们利用聚乙二醇水凝胶和不同稳定的无定形磷酸钙的复合材料来研究对人间充质干细胞附着和成骨分化的潜在影响。我们发现，以 RGD 三肽形式的整合素结合基序进行功能化对于允许大量细胞以扩散形态粘附是必要的。观察到支架中无定形磷酸钙矿物质在至少 21 天内缓慢溶解，导致钙和锌离子释放到细胞培养基中。虽然我们定性地观察到在负载无定形磷酸钙的支架存在的情况下，细胞外基质逐渐矿化以及钙沉积，但我们没有观察到所选成骨标志物表达的显着变化。