Culture of nucleus pulposus cells from intervertebral disc on self-assembling KLD-12 peptide hydrogel scaffold

KLD-12 peptide is a new self-assembling biomaterial and it has been used as cell scaffold for cartilage repair. In this study, self-assembled KLD-12 peptide nanofiber was fabricated and the biocompatibility of this scaffold for nucleus pulposus (NP) cells was evaluated. The structure of this scaffold was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This hydrogel was structurally integral and homogeneous. KLD-12 peptide was able to self-assemble into nanofibers with a diameter of 10–30 nm (mean: 13.7 ± 4.7 nm) and a length of hundreds of nanometers. Two-week culture of rabbits NP cells in this scaffold showed that the self-assembled hydrogel maintained the live cell number by 93% and the cell viability increased gradually with the culture time. The expression of type II collagen mRNA was further confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of type II collagen was high in the hydrogel, however, type I collagen expression was observed in few cells. Furthermore, GAG content increased gradually accompanied with the extension of culture time. In conclusion, this self-assembled nanofiber scaffold provided a conducive microenvironment for NP cell to survive and proliferate in vitro.