Development of self-assembled polygalacturonic acid-peptide composites and their interactions with mesenchymal stem cells for potential applications in tendon tissue engineering

We have developed a new biomimetic scaffold for potential applications in tendon tissue engineering (TE). The scaffold template was synthesised by conjugating polygalacturonic acid with the dipeptide leucyl-leucine to mimic the leucine rich proteoglycans found in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of tenocytes. To the template, type I collagen and an elastin derived peptide were incorporated in order to form the final PG-Leu-Leu-Col-El scaffold. Results indicated the formation of gelatinous, fibrous scaffolds. DSC analysis showed phase changes that included crystallisation and thermal melting due to re-organisation of the scaffold components. Young's modulus was determined to be 832 ± 2 MPa. Rheology studies showed that the scaffold maintained a constant G´ / G˝ ratio over a wide range of angular frequency. Cell studies with bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) indicated that the scaffolds promoted cell proliferation and formed three dimensional cell-scaffold matrices. This newly developed scaffold may open new opportunities for tissue engineering applications.