Objective: Mechanical stimuli play a crucial role in cartilage repair and regeneration. Dynamic compression, as a physical stimulus, has been demonstrated to be an important factor in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs). However, the interaction of mechanical stimuli and chondrogenesis regulator on the chondrocyte phenotype and differentiation of ADSCs remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of dynamic compression combined with exogenous SOX-9 on chondrogenesis of ADSCs in a three-dimensional porous polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold.
Materials and methods: The morphology of ADSCs on the scaffolds was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The proliferation of ADSCs was evaluated by MTT assay. The expression of cartilage-specific genes in early chondrogenic differentiation was assessed by real-time PCR.
Results: Our results indicated that the combination of dynamic compression with exogenous SOX-9 induces the expression of chondrogenic genes and promotes the proliferation of ADSCs.
Conclusions: Therefore, compression and SOX-9 have positive effects on chondrogenesis process of ADSCs, which may benefit articular cartilage regeneration.