Polydopamine-coated 3D-printed β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds to promote the adhesion and osteogenesis of BMSCs for bone-defect repair: mRNA transcriptomic sequencing analysis

Cellular bioactivity and tissue regeneration can be affected by coatings on tissue-engineered scaffolds. Using mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) is a convenient and effective approach to surface modification. Therefore, 3D-printed β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds were coated with PDA in this study. The effects of the scaffolds on the adhesion and osteogenic differentiation of seeded bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vitro and on new-bone formation in vivo were investigated. The potential mechanisms and related differential genes were assessed using mRNA sequencing. It was seen that PDA coating increased the surface roughness of the 3D-printed β-TCP scaffolds. Furthermore, it prompted the adhesion and osteogenic differentiation of seeded BMSCs. mRNA sequencing analysis revealed that PDA coating might affect the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs through the calcium signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, TGF-beta signaling pathway, etc. Moreover, the expression of osteogenesis-related genes, such as R-spondin 1 and chemokine c-c-motif ligand 2, was increased. Finally, both the 3D-printed β-TCP scaffolds and PDA-coated scaffolds could significantly accelerate the formation of new bone in critical-size calvarial defects in rats compared with the control group; and the new bone formation was obviously higher in the PDA-coated scaffolds than in β-TCP scaffolds. In summary, 3D-printed β-TCP scaffolds with a PDA coating can improve the physicochemical characteristics and cellular bioactivity of the scaffold surface for bone regeneration. Potential differential genes were identified, which can be used as a foundation for further research.