Evaluation of the Osteoinductive Capacity of Polydopamine-Coated Poly(ε-caprolactone) Diacrylate Shape Memory Foams

Recently, a novel shape memory polymer foam based on the photopolymerization of poly(ε-caprolactone) diacrylate (PCLDA) has been developed. These PCLDA foams enter a temporary softened state when briefly treated with warm saline ( T saline > T m of PCLDA), allowing them to conform to irregular bone defect “boundaries” prior to shape setting. When coated with a mechanically stable polydopamine (PD) layer, these PCLDA foams have previously been demonstrated to induce hydroxyapatite deposition. In the present study, the osteoinductivity of these “self-fitting” PD-coated PCLDA (PD–PCLDA) materials was evaluated relative to uncoated PCLDA (U-PCLDA) controls using bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (h-MSCs). When cultured in the absence of osteogenic media supplements, PD–PCLDA scaffolds expressed similar levels of Runx2, alkaline phosphatase, and osteopontin protein as U-PCLDA scaffolds cultured in the presence of osteogenic media supplements. In addition, PD–PCLDA scaffolds cultured without osteogenic supplements did not significantly promote undesired lineage progression (e.g., adipogenesis or chondrogenesis) of h-MSCs. Cumulatively, these data indicate that PD–PCLDA materials display increased osteoinductivity relative to U-PCLDA substrates. Future studies will examine tethered osteogenic factors or peptides toward augmenting the osteoinductive properties of the PD–PCLDA foams.