Effect of Injectable Chitosan Scaffold on Bone-Related Gene Expression of Mesenchymal Stem Cell During Cell Differentiation

Several injectable materials have been applied for bone substitute in bone defect however, nothing has achieved acceptance in clinic. This study was carried out to investigate whether chitosan-alginate gel/mesenchymal stem cell composites are potentially injectable substitute materials for bone remodeling. The chitosan-alginate gel/mesenchymal stem cell composites were implanted in the bone defect lesion of rat calvaria to investigate the mRNA expressions of implanted mesenchymal stem cells. The implantation of chitosan-alginate gel/mesenchymal stem cell promoted the expression of collagen type 1 in bone defect lesion and induced the growth of osteoblast cells, thereby promoting new bone formation. In addition, the new bone formation process was improved by increasing the expression of Col13a1, Tnn, Fignl1, and Chad, which are related to the growth and differentiation of osteoblasts, and decreasing the expression of MMP13, which is related to the differentiation of osteoclasts. The present study suggests that chitosan-alginate gel/mesenchymal stem cell composites could be a useful tool for treatment of bone defect as a bone substitute.