Synergistic effect of pressure cold atmospheric plasma and carboxymethyl chitosan to mesenchymal stem cell differentiation on PCL/CMC nanofibers for cartilage tissue engineering

Cell attachment and differentiation on biomaterials might be enhanced by surface modification techniques. The main aim of this study was to improve stem cell/material interaction by pressure cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). We developed a combination of electrospun poly (ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐chitosan (CTS) and PCL‐carboxy methyl chitosan (CMC) scaffolds. In order to make nanofiber surfaces more appropriate for mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) attachment and proliferation, CAP was used. Proliferation and cartilage differentiation of MSCs were then evaluated during 21 days. Biocompatibility test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, 3‐[4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2yl]‐2, 5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and 4′,6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole (DAPI) staining were performed. After 21 days, induction of cartilage differentiation was approved through expression of SRY‐Box 9 (SOX9) and collagen type II (COL2) genes by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), and COL2 protein expression was accordingly confirmed by immunocytochemistry (ICC). Thus, our data showed the PCL/CMC scaffolds can support and induce the differentiation of MSC to cartilage‐like cells.