Improving the osteogenesis of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell sheets by microRNA-21-loaded chitosan/hyaluronic acid nanoparticles via reverse transfection

Cell sheet engineering has emerged as a novel approach to effectively deliver seeding cells for tissue regeneration, and developing human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (hBMMSC) sheets with high osteogenic ability is a constant requirement from clinics for faster and higher-quality bone formation. In this work, we fabricated biocompatible and safe chitosan (CS)/hyaluronic acid (HA) nanoparticles (NPs) to deliver microRNA-21 (miR-21), which has been proved to accelerate osteogenesis in hBMMSCs; then, the CS/HA/miR-21 NPs were cross-linked onto the surfaces of culture plates with 0.2% gel solution to fabricate miR-21-functionalized culture plates for reverse transfection. hBMMSC sheets were induced continuously for 14 days using a vitamin C-rich method on the miR-21-functionalized culture plates. For the characterization of CS/HA/miR-21 NPs, the particle size, zeta potential, surface morphology, and gel retardation were sequentially investigated. Then, the biological effects of hBMMSC sheets on the miR-21-functionalized culture plates were evaluated. The assay results demonstrated that the hBMMSC sheets could be successfully induced via the novel reverse transfection approach, and miR-21 delivery significantly enhanced the in vitro osteogenic differentiation of hBMMSC sheets in terms of upregulating calcification-related gene expression and enhancing alkaline phosphatase production, collagen secretion, and mineralized nodule formation. The enhanced osteogenic activity of hBMMSC sheets might promisingly lead to more rapid and more robust bone regeneration for clinical use.