Poly-(lactic acid) and fibrin bioactive cellularized scaffold for use in bone regenerative medicine: Proof of concept

Bone regenerative medicine (BRM) aims to overcome the limitations of conventional treatments for critical bone defects by developing therapeutic strategies, based on temporary bioactive substitutes, capable of stimulating, sustaining, and guiding tissue regeneration. The aim of this study was to validate the “proof of concept” of a cellularized bioactive scaffold and establish its potential for use in BRM. For this purpose, three-dimensional scaffolds of poly-(lactic acid) (PLA), produced by the additive manufacturing technique, were incorporated into a human platelet-rich plasma (PRP-h) fibrin matrix containing human infrapatellar fat pad mesenchymal stem cells (hIFPMSC). The scaffolds (PLA/finbrin-bioactive) were kept under ideal culture conditions in a medium free from fetal bovine serum and analyzed at 5 and 10 days by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourrier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Circular Dichroism and fluorescence microscopy. The results demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining a rigid, cytocompatible, and cellularized three-dimensional structure. In addition, PRP platelets and leukocytes were able to provide a bioactive environment capable of maintaining the viability of hIFPMSC into scaffolds. The results validate the concept of a customizable, bioactive, cellularized, and non-immunogenic strategy for application in BRM.