Osteogenesis of human adipose-derived stem cells on hydroxyapatite-mineralized poly(lactic acid) nanofiber sheets

• hADSCs show higher adhesion and proliferation on HA-precipitate electrospun fiber sheets than those of the control membranes.
• HA-mineralized fiber groups greatly improve cell growth and increase FAK and p-FAK expressions.
• HA-precipitate electrospun fiber sheets present higher ALP and OC activity through the study periods.
• Electrospun PLA fiber mineralized with HA provides a good environment for cell growth and osteogenic differentiation.
• A simple immersion of electrospun fibers in 10 × SBF are a potential matrix for bone tissue engineering.

Electrospun fiber sheets with various orientations (random, partially aligned, and aligned) and smooth and roughened casted membranes were prepared. Hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals were in situ formed on these material surfaces via immersion in 10 × simulated body fluid solution. The size and morphology of the resulting fibers were examined using scanning electron microscopy. The average diameter of the fibers ranged from 225 ± 25 to 1050 ± 150 nm depending on the electrospinning parameters. Biological experiment results show that human adipose-derived stem cells exhibit different adhesion and osteogenic differentiation on the three types of fiber. The cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation were best on the aligned fibers. Similar results were found for phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase expression. Electrospun poly(lactic acid) aligned fibers mineralized with HA crystals provide a good environment for cell growth and osteogenic differentiation and thus have great potential in the tissue engineering field.