Abbasi-Ravasjani et al_Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

Lack of bioactivity of three-dimensional (3D)-printed poly-є-caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds limits cell-material interactions in bone tissue engineering. This limitation can be overcome using surface-functionalization by glycosaminoglycan-like anionic polysaccharides, e.g. carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a plant-based carboxymethylated, unsulfated polysaccharide, and κ-carrageenan, a seaweed-derived sulfated, non-carboxymethylated polysaccharide. Sulfation of CMC and carboxymethylation of κ-carrageenan critically improve their bioactivity. This study showed for the first-time that surface-functionalization by SCMC is superior to CM-к-Car in increasing hydrophilicity and surface charge, as well as pre-osteoblast proliferation, and collagen production. However, CM-к-Car has an important advantage over SCMC in enhancing surface roughness, as well as promoting osteogenic differentiation of pre-osteoblasts. To the best of our knowledge, surface-functionalization by SCMC or CM-к-Car is a novel feasible strategy to enhance osteoblast proliferation and differentiation on biomaterials, which might improve bone regeneration and seamless biomaterial integration into the bone.