Distribution of bone marrow stem cells in large porous polyester scaffolds

This work examined the optimal syringing depth during in vitro cell loading in order to even cell distribution after syringing a drop of cell suspension in cylinder poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) porous scaffolds. The scaffolds of 10 mm height and 10 mm diameter were fabricated via room-temperature compression molding & particulate leaching technique based on spherical porogens. In vitro tests were employed for such examinations: a global observation of a cell-loaded scaffold stained by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) technique and a quantitative measurement of spatial distribution of cells after slicing the cell-loaded scaffolds into layers. It was found that an even distribution of cells was soon achieved only if the initial cell suspension was seeded on the layer that was below the top surface but above the middle of scaffolds. The availability of in vitro osteoblastic differentiation of rat bone marrow stem cells in such a kind of spherical-pore PLGA scaffolds was meanwhile confirmed.