Human bone derived cell culture on PLGA flat sheet membranes of different lactide:glycolide ratio

Providing a scaffold that can supply nutrients on a large scale (several cubic centimeters) is the key to successfully regenerating vascularized tissue: biodegradable membranes are a promising new scaffold suited to this purpose. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic-acid) (PLGA) flat sheet membranes of different lactide:glycolide ratios, prepared by phase inversion using 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) as the solvent and water as the nonsolvent, were compared by assessing attachment, proliferation and osteogenic function of human bone derived cells (HBDC). Three different lactide:glycolide ratios, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0, were compared to tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS). For attachment, 50:50 and 75:25 had similar numbers to TCPS but 100:0 had significantly fewer cells than TCPS. 50:50 and 75:25 had significantly lower HBDC numbers after 7 days but 100:0 had similar numbers compared to TCPS. For proliferation the cell number on the membranes were similar to each other. After 3 weeks, osteoblastic function of the HBDC, shown by mineralization and alkaline phosphatase activity, was present but was significantly lower compared to the TCPS control but similar when the membranes were compared. PLGA membranes fabricated from a range of ratios support HBDC culture so the optimum scaffold composition can be selected based on other factors, such as degradation rate. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;101: 369-377.