A Modified Polysaccharide-Based Hydrogel for Enhanced Osteogenic Maturation and Mineralization Independent of Differentiation Factors.

Bone related problems are increasing as a consequence of increased life expectancy, disorders in life style, and other medical conditions enforcing the need for functional bones prepared in vitro at affordable cost. Lack of suitable surface which promotes growth of both osteogenic and nonosteogenic cells is a major limitation. Here a novel biomaterial is reported that is synthesized from natural polysaccharide, namely, tamarind kernel polysaccharide (TKP), which is grafted with hydrophilic acrylic acid (AA) by radical polymerization. Modification in surface functionality removes unwanted proteins and alters hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance. TKP-AA is suitable for the growth of different nonosteogenic and osteogenic cells. This material is suitable for osteoblasts and promotes in vitro mineralization and differentiation without the addition of exogenous growth factors. TKP-AA can be used for the growth of mesenchymal stem cell-derived osteoblasts. It is suggested that TKP-AA can potentially be used as a scaffold for diverse cell types and particularly for bone tissue engineering at low cost.