Influence of Collagen 1 on osteogenesis in a perfused 3D bioreactor system

The production of artificial bone constructs using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) is a promising approach for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, the development of a suitable 3D bioreactor system that can mimic the<i>in vivo</i>environment and promote osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs remains a significant challenge. The 3D cell culture system established in this study consists of a bioreactor with an included vascular-mimetic perfusion system for hydrogel cultures and enables to study the effect of different hydrogels and the addition of cell matrix components (in this study Collagen type 1) or the 3D environment itself on the osteogenesis process. Our results show that the 3D bioreactor system can promote osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs, as evidenced by increased expression of osteogenic markers and mineralization of the hydrogel matrix. We also observed a positive effect of collagen type I on cell morphology. The results of this study demonstrate the potential of the 3D bioreactor system for the production of artificial bone constructs using hMSCs and provide a basis for further optimization and scaling up of the system. Our reactor system is an easy and reproducible system that can be used conventionally in laboratories to form or assemble histocompatible tissue substitutes to research artificial bone constructs and could reduce animal experiments in the near future.