Stem cell adhesion and proliferation on hydrolyzed poly(butylene succinate)/β‐tricalcium phosphate composites

Abstract Although poly(butylene succinate)/β‐tricalcium phosphate (PBSu/TCP) composites are biocompatible and allow the growth and osteogenic differentiation of stem cells, cell attachment and adhesion to the PBSu‐based substrates is often limited. To enhance cell adhesion and proliferation, we used a sodium hydroxide (NaOH) hydrolysis technique to generate a different degree of roughness on PBSu/TCP substrates with different PBSu:TCP ratios. The results showed that NaOH hydrolysis increased surface roughness of PBSu/TCP substrates in a concentration‐dependent manner. Substrates with higher ratios of TCP:PBSu provided more porous topography after NaOH hydrolysis, with a substrate containing 40 wt % TCP (PBSu/TCP‐6040) hydrolyzed with 1.5MNaOH (HPBSu/TCP‐6040‐1.5) showing the highest degree of roughness. As with the roughness, PBSu/TCP surface hydrophilicity was positively affected by the increasing NaOH concentration and TCP incorporation. Stem cells adhered best on HPBSu/TCP‐6040‐1.5 with three‐dimensionally elongated cell extensions. Moreover, the HPBSu/TCP‐6040‐1.5 substrate most significantly facilitated stem cell actin cytoskeleton reorganization and vinculin‐positive focal adhesion formation when compared with the other substrates tested. HPBSu/TCP‐6040‐1.5 also demonstrated the greatest increase in cell proliferation when compared with the other substrates studied. In conclusion, the results have shown that among various substrates tested, HPBSu/TCP‐6040‐1.5 provided the best support for stem cell adhesion and proliferation, suggesting its potential use in bone engineering. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 658–670, 2015.