Resorbable biomaterials have been investigated as barrier membranes to compartmentalize the periodontal defects while selectively guiding osteoprogenitor cell proliferation and bone tissue expansion. Hydroxyapatite (H), chitosan (C), and gelatin (G) have chemical similarity to the structural components of natural bone and their composites have been tested as bone scaffolds. Human mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (hMSCs) are inducible osteoprogenitors and are responsible for bone tissue repair and regeneration. In this study, the dynamic interactions of hMSC with composite hydroxyapatite-chitosan-gelatin (HCG) membranes were investigated. The association of HCG formed a biodegradable membrane with ~60 wt % water and an initial stiffness of ~20 kPa. Preconditioning in serum-containing media resulted in the formation nanopores in the HCG membranes and the increase of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein adsorption. Expression of integrin α(2)β(1) and α(5)β(1) coincided with ECM enrichment, suggesting the enhanced cell-ECM interactions. The elevated expression of bone marker proteins and genes in the HCG membranes suggests the progression of hMSC osteogenic differentiation in the absence of chemical induction. The results showed that the HCG membranes possess sufficient mechanical and structural properties to function as a barrier membrane, and that the adsorbed ECM proteins effectively functionalized the HCG membranes and promoted hMSC osteogenic differentiation.
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