Probe sonicated cotton cellulose fibers treated with bone conditioned medium for optimum cell growth and mineralization

Plant-based cellulose owing to its biocompatibility, slow in vivo degradability, chemical modifiability, mechanical properties and low cost of production represents an attractive biomaterial for tissue engineering applications. This study aimed at synthesizing probe-sonicated cellulose (PSC), followed by functionalization via bone-conditioned medium (BCM) and examining the in silico binding affinity of protein-based active components of BCM with cellulose subunits. Furthermore, the in vitro bioactivityi.e., cell proliferation, viability and mineralization of the BCM-treated PSC were also investigated. Cotton cellulose (CC) was first treated with sulfuric acid and subjected to probe sonication to reduce the reaction time, fiber length and enhance the surface roughness for improved surface adsorption potential. BCM was prepared by conditioning the serum-free media with pre-osteoblasts. Then, PSC was exposed to BCM. The successful functionalization of PSC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Molecular docking and molecular simulation results confirmed the high binding affinity of active components of BCM including bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) with cellulose subunits. Biochemical analysis demonstrated favorable biocompatibility and non-toxicity of BCM-functionalized PSC which promoted the proliferation, viability and mineralization of pre-osteoblast cells. These promising results suggest that BCM-functionalized PSC can be explored as a potential candidate for providing a conducive environment for cells as well as scaffolding in bone tissue engineering applications. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

This study aimed to synthesize probe-sonicated cellulose (PSC) and functionalize it with bone-conditioned medium (BCM) to examine the in silico binding affinity of active components of BCM with cellulose subunits. The in vitro bioactivity of BCM-treated PSC was also investigated, showing favorable biocompatibility and promotion of pre-osteoblast cell proliferation, viability, and mineralization.