A Mineral Paper-based Scaffold as a Platform for Osteogenic Differentiation

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Despite tissue engineering's promise for critical‑sized bone defects and nonunions, most current approaches rely heavily on complex growth factors and elaborate composites. In contrast to such multifaceted strategies, we examined a mineral paper scaffold composed of HDPE and calcium carbonate and cultured adipose‑derived mesenchymal stem cells on it without exogenous osteogenic inducers. The scaffold's surface showed microscale roughness and hydrophilic behavior, and its degradation proceeded steadily over 62 days. FTIR and XRD confirmed the calcium carbonate as calcite. Flow cytometry initially confirmed the mesenchymal phenotype of the adipose‑derived cells (high CD90, CD105, CD29 vs. low CD34, CD45). During subsequent culture on the scaffold, the scaffold itself not only supported a steady rise in cell metabolism but, more critically, induced osteogenic differentiation. Alkaline phosphatase activity on the scaffold significantly exceeded that on standard tissue culture plate controls on days 7 and 14. RUNX2 and BGLAP expression were also elevated in cells cultured on the mineral paper relative to controls by day 14. We attribute the osteogenic response to the scaffold's surface topography, which appears sufficient for guiding ADSC osteoinductivity in the absence of soluble inducers. These findings support the use of mineral paper as a structurally driven, low‑complexity scaffold for bone tissue engineering and human bone regeneration.

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References

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Available Online from 12 July 2026

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