METHOD FOR INDUCING THREE-DIMENSIONAL OSTEOGENIC DIFFERENTIATION OF STEM CELLS USING HYDROGEL

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for inducing osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and, more particularly, to a short-time osteogenic differentiation method of culturing cells using a porous membrane and a biodegradable synthetic biogel, whereby the cells do not contact a cell culture container. The present invention can significantly shorten the induction period of osteogenic differentiation, compared to the conventional osteogenic differentiation method, and has an effect of the cells being easily separable after differentiation as well.

Claims

1. A method for inducing osteogenic differentiation of stem cells in a cell culture container inside which a porous membrane having one surface coated with a hydrogel is placed in a non-contact manner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises: placing a porous membrane inside a cell culture container in a non-contact manner; applying a hydrogel solution on one surface of the porous membrane to coat a hydrogel thereon through a sol-gel phase transition; seeding stem cells on the coated hydrogel; and culturing the stem cells in an osteogenic differentiation inducing medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the medium flows in between the porous membrane and the cell culture container to increase the contact surface area between the stem cells and the medium, thereby shortening the period for osteogenic differentiation induction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogel includes 1-40% hydrogels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogel has a viscosity at 37□ of 1.Math.E+00 to 1.Math.E+06 (10.sup.0 to 10.sup.6) mPa.Math.s.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the porous membrane has a pore size of 0.1-8 μm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the porous membrane and the hydrogel allow the permeation of air and medium.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stem cells are umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells, periodontal ligament cells, or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the sol-gel phase transition is performed at 37□ for 1 to 2 hours.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the stem cells are cultured in the osteogenic differentiation inducing medium for 3-7 days.

11. An apparatus for the differentiation of stem cells, the system comprising: a cell culture container; and a porous membrane configured to have one surface to which a hydrogel is attached, cells being to adhere to the hydrogel, wherein the hydrogel-attached porous membrane is disposed inside the cell culture container in a non-contact manner.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the porous membrane and the hydrogel allow the permeation of air and medium.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method for the differentiation of stem cells in a three-dimensional state according to the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a method for the differentiation of stem cells in a two-dimensional state using a culture dish according to the conventional art.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a method for three-dimensional differentiation of stem cells using only a polymer membrane without a hydrogel.

[0011] FIG. 4 confirms the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, induced by the method of Comparative Example 1 (14 days: control 1, 5 days: control II), the method of Comparative Example 2 (lane 3, hydrogel concentration 0%), and the method of Example.

[0012] FIG. 5 confirms the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, induced by the method of Comparative Example 1, the method of Comparative Example 2 (lane 2), and the method of Example.

[0013] FIG. 6 confirms the degrees of osteogenic differentiation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, induced by the method of Comparative Example 2 (control), the method of Comparative Example 2+100 ng/ml BMP2or 20 ng/ml Wnt3a, and the method of Example.

[0014] FIG. 7 confirms the degrees of osteogenic differentiation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, induced by the method of Example for 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, or 7 days.

[0015] FIG. 8 shows the results of osteogenic differentiation induction of bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC), adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC), umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSC), embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ESMSC), and periodontal ligament cells (PDL) by the method of Comparative Example 1, the method of Comparative Example 2 (without hydrogels), and the method of Example.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the following examples. However, the present disclosure may be realized in various different forms, and therefore is not limited to embodiments to be described herein.

[0017] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for inducing osteogenic differentiation of stem cells in a cell culture container inside which a porous membrane having one surface coated with a hydrogel is placed in a non-contact manner.

[0018] In an embodiment, the present disclosure may induce the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells, by including:

[0019] placing a porous membrane inside a cell culture container in a non-contact manner;

[0020] applying a hydrogel solution on one surface of the porous membrane to coat a hydrogel thereon through a sol-gel phase transition;

[0021] seeding stem cells on the coated hydrogel; and

[0022] culturing the stem cells in an osteogenic differentiation inducing medium.

[0023] In an embodiment, the method may further include a step of, before the culturing of stem cells in an osteogenic differentiation inducing medium after the seeding of stem cells, culturing the stem cells in an osteogenic differentiation pre-treatment medium for 10-24 hours. The pre-treatment medium may have a glucose concentration of 1.5 g/l or less.

[0024] In an embodiment, the porous membrane may be placed in parallel with the bottom of the cell culture container in a non-contact manner. The order of the coating of the hydrogel on the porous membrane and the placing of the porous membrane inside the cell culture container in a non-contact manner is not particularly limited. In such a case, the porous membrane may be disposed above the bottom of the cell culture container in a non-contact manner and then the hydrogel may be coated thereon, or the hydrogel may be coated on the porous membrane in advance and then the coated porous membrane may be disposed inside the cell container in a non-contact manner.

[0025] The cell culture container of the present disclosure generally refers to a dish or well plate used for cell culture, and the cell culture container is not particularly limited as long as it is used for cell culture and can introduce a porous membrane to the container bottom in a non-contact manner.

[0026] In an embodiment, in cases where cells are non-horizontally cultured inside the cell culture container to induce the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells, a hydrogel solution may be applied on one surface of the porous membrane, the cells may be allowed to adhere to the hydrogel, and then the resulting membrane may be placed inside the cell culture container in a non-contact manner to induce the osteogenic differentiation.

[0027] In an embodiment, the stem cells may be cultured in osteogenic differentiation inducing medium for 3-7 days.

[0028] In an embodiment, the medium flows in between the porous membrane and the cell culture container to increase the contact surface area between the stem cells and the medium, thereby shortening the period for osteogenic differentiation induction. The porous membrane and the hydrogel of the present disclosure allow the permeation of air and medium, and the medium flow in to fill a space between the porous membrane and the cell culture container, which is generated by disposing the porous membrane and the cell culture container in a non-contact manner, so that the medium and the air flow into even the adhering portion of the cells, and thus, the stem cells are in contact with the medium and air with a wider surface area, thereby shortening the time for osteogenic differentiation induction. For example, the existing osteogenic differentiation method takes three to five weeks, but the osteogenic differentiation by the method of the present disclosure occurs within 3-7 days.

[0029] The cell culture container of the present disclosure generally refers to a dish or well plate used for cell culture, and the cell culture container is not particularly limited as long as it is used for cell culture and can introduce a porous membrane to the container in a non-contact manner.

[0030] In an embodiment, the sol-gel phase transition of the hydrogel solution (hydrosol) into the hydrogel may be performed at 37□ for 1 to 2 hours.

[0031] In an embodiment, the hydrogel may include 1-40% hydrogels, and more preferably 1-15% hydrogels. The differentiation of stem cells does not occur for 0% hydrogel, and the efficiency of osteogenic differentiation does not increase and thus is not meaningful for 40% or more hydrogels. However, the concentration of the hydrogel is not limited thereto.

[0032] In an embodiment, the 1-40% hydrogels may be coated on the porous membrane at 200-300 μl /cm.sup.2, and the thickness of the hydrogels formed through the sol-gel phase transition may be 1-4 mm.

[0033] In an embodiment, the viscosity at 37□ of the hydrogel may be 1.Math.E+00 to 1.Math.E+06 (10.sup.0 to 10.sup.6) mPa.Math.s depending on the concentration (%) of the hydrogel. In the hydrogel having a pore size out of the range, the adhesion or differentiation of stem cells may be difficult. The hydrogel of the present disclosure is in a gel phase at a cell culture temperature, 37□, and thus the cells are cultured inside and outside the gel. The hydrogel of the present disclosure is changed into a sol phase at a temperature lower than the cell culture temperature, thereby facilitating the separation of cells after cell differentiation.

[0034] In an embodiment, the porous membrane may have a pore size of 0.1-8 μm, but the pore size is not limited as long as the pore size is such that medium and air can pass through the porous membrane but the hydrogel cannot pass through the porous membrane.

[0035] In an embodiment, the stem cells may be umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells, periodontal ligament cells, or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. The origins of the stem cells are not particularly limited, and examples thereof may be cells derived from human, monkey, pig, horse, cow, sheep, dog, cat, mouse, or rabbit. The stem cells are preferably human-derived stem cells, but are not limited thereto.

[0036] As used herein, the term “porous membrane” or “polymer membrane” refers to a porous membrane, a permeable membrane, or film type material through which medium or air passes but the hydrogel fails to pass. Any porous structure through which the cell culture medium and the air pass is not particularly limited.

[0037] As used herein, the term “hydrogel” refers to a material wherein a liquid, containing water as a dispersion medium, is solidified through a sol-gel phase transition to lose fluidity and form a porous structure. Any hydrogel suitable for cell adhesion and culture is not particularly limited, and in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a biodegradable synthetic bio-gel was used.

[0038] As used herein, the term “stem cells” refers to undifferentiated cells having self-renewal and differentiation potency. Stem cells include sub-groups of pluripotent stem cells, multipotent stem cells, and unipotent stem cells, according to their differentiation capacity. The pluripotent stem cells mean cells that have the potency to differentiate into all tissues or cells constituting a living organism, and the multipotent stem cells means cells that do not have potency to differentiate into all kinds but into plural kinds of tissues or cells. Unipotent stem cells mean cells that have the potency to differentiate into a particular tissue or cell. The pluripotent stem cells may include embryonic stem cells (ES cells), embryonic germ cells (EG cells), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), etc. The multipotent stem cells may include adult stem cells, such as mesenchymal stem cells (derived from fat, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, or umbilical cord, etc.), hematopoietic stem cells (derived from bone marrow or peripheral blood), neural stem cells, germ stem cells, etc. The unipotent stem cells may include committed stem cells for hepatocytes, which are usually quiescent with low self-renewal capacity, but vigorously differentiate into hepatocytes under certain conditions.

[0039] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for the differentiation of stem cells, the system including:

[0040] a cell culture container; and

[0041] a porous membrane configured to have one surface to which a hydrogel is attached, cells being to adhere to the hydrogel,

[0042] wherein the hydrogel-attached porous membrane is disposed inside the cell culture container in a non-contact manner.

[0043] In an embodiment, the porous membrane and the hydrogel may allow the permeation of air and medium.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0044] The present disclosure will be described in more detail through the following examples. However, the following examples are provided merely to illustrate the present disclosure and not to restrict the scope of the present disclosure.

EXAMPLE

Example 1

Stem Cell Differentiation Method in Three-Dimensional State

[0045] In order to promote the differentiation of stem cells, the trial for three-dimensional differentiation was performed. To this end, a polymer membrane with a thickness of 0.4-1 μm (Corning, USA) was provided so as to be horizontal to the bottom of a cell culture dish or well in a non-contact manner. A biodegradable synthetic bio-gel (BASF, Germany) was dissolved in sterilized tertiary distilled water to prepare gels with various concentrations (%). Then, 250 μl/cm.sup.2 of the prepared biodegradable synthetic bio-gels were coated on the polymer membranes, and then solidified at 37° C. for 1 hour and 30 minutes, thereby manufacturing cell culture containers. The thickness of the biodegradable synthetic bio-gel after the sol-gel phase transition was at least 1 mm, and the average was 2.5 mm. The adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in CEFOgro ADMSC medium (CB-ADMSC-GM, CEFO, Korea), the bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in CEFOgro BMMSC medium (CB-BMMSC-GM, CEFO, Korea), the embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells in CEFOgro ESMSC medium (CB-ESMSC-GM, CEFO, Korea), the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in CEFOgro UCMSC medium (CB-UCMSC-GM, CEFO, Korea), the periodontal ligament cells (PDL) in CEFOgro PDL medium (CB-PDL-GM, CEFO, Korea) were cultured in the CO.sub.2 incubator at 37° C. for 3-4 days. Thereafter, each type of stem cells was seeded on the bio-gel, and the osteogenic differentiation pre-treatment medium (CB-DM-Osteo-PT, CEFO, Korea) was added thereto, followed by culture in the CO.sub.2 incubator at 37□ for 18 hours. Thereafter, the medium was exchanged with osteogenic differentiation inducing medium (CB-DM-Osteo, CEFO, Korea), and then the osteogenic differentiation was induced in the CO.sub.2 incubator at 37□ for 5 days (FIG. 1).

Comparative Example 1

Stem Cell Differentiation Method in Two-Dimensional State

[0046] Stem cells were differentiated by a two-dimensional differentiation method, which is the conventional stem cell differentiation method. Specifically, the cells were seeded in the 12-well cell culture container (dish), and cultured in the pre-treatment medium (CB-DM-Osteo-PT, CEFO, Korea) for inducing osteogenic differentiation until the cell density reaches 85-90%. Thereafter, the medium was exchanged with the osteogenic differentiation inducing medium (CB-DM-Osteo, CEFO, Korea), followed by osteogenic differentiation induction for 14-21 days (FIG. 2).

Comparative Example 2

Stem Cell Differentiation Method in Three-Dimensional State Without Hydrogel

[0047] In order to investigate the differentiation of stem cells when the biodegradable synthetic bio-gel on the polymer membrane in Example 1 is 0% (only polymer membrane is present), stem cells were seeded on the polymer membrane, and then cultured for 5 days like in Example 1 (FIG. 3).

Test Example 1

Verification on Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

[0048] The bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation induced by the method of Comparative Example 1 for 14 days or 5 days, the bone marrow-derived stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation induced by the method of Comparative Example 2 (0% biodegradable synthetic bio-gel) for 5 days, and the bone marrow-derived stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation induced by the method of Example above (5%, 10%, or 15% biodegradable synthetic bio-gel) were visually observed for osteogenic differentiation through a phase contrast microscope. In addition, in order to investigate the osteogenically differentiated cells through Alizarin red staining, the cells were washed twice with PBS, fixed with 70% ethyl alcohol at room temperature for 10 minutes, and then washed twice with tertiary distilled water. Thereafter, the cells were treated with Sol I of Alizarin Red staining kit (CB-SK-Osteo), followed by reaction at room temperature for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the cells were cleanly washed three times with Sol II, and subjected to image analysis using an inverted microscope (LEICA, Germany). In addition, for digitization of the results, the cells were treated with Sol III after image synthesis to perform a reaction for 30 minutes, so that the stained reagent was completely dissolved. Then, 100 μl of the dissolved solution was taken, placed in a 96-well plate, and the absorbance was measured at 550 nm. As a result, the osteogenic differentiation was not attained when the osteogenic differentiation was induced by the method of Comparative Example 1 for 5 days and when the osteogenic differentiation was induced by the method of Comparative Example 2 for 5 days, but sufficient osteogenic differentiation was induced when the osteogenic differentiation was induced by the method of Example for 5 days. Especially, it could be seen that, with respect to the osteogenic differentiation by the method of Example above, the osteogenic differentiation occurred favorably in all the 1 to 30% hydrogels, and the most optimal osteogenic differentiation was shown at a concentration of 10% (FIG. 4).

Test Example 2

Verification on Osteogenic Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

[0049] The adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation induced by the method of Comparative Example 1 for 14 days, the bone marrow-derived stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation induced by the method of Comparative Example 2 (0% biodegradable synthetic bio-gel) for 5 days, and the bone marrow-derived stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation induced by the method of Example above (5%, 10%, or 15% biodegradable synthetic bio-gel) were visually observed for osteogenic differentiation through a phase contrast microscope. In addition, in order to investigate the osteogenically differentiated cells through Alizarin red staining, the cells were washed twice with PBS, fixed with 70% ethyl alcohol at room temperature for 10 minutes, and then washed twice with tertiary distilled water. Thereafter, the cells were treated with Sol I of Alizarin Red staining kit (CB-SK-Osteo), followed by reaction at room temperature for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the cells were cleanly washed three times with Sol II, and subjected to image analysis using an inverted microscope (LEICA, Germany). As a result, it could be seen that the osteogenic differentiation never occurred when the osteogenic differentiation was induced by the method of Comparative Example 2 for 5 days, but when the osteogenic differentiation was induced by the method of Example for 5 days, the osteogenic differentiation was favorably attained in all the 1 to 30% biodegradable synthetic hydrogels, and the most optimal osteogenic differentiation was shown at a concentration of 5-10% (FIG. 5).

Test Example 3

Verification on Osteogenic Differentiation of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells

[0050] The umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation induced by the method of Comparative Example 2 for 5 days, the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells seeded by the method of Comparative Example 2, treated with 100 ng/ml bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP 2, peprotech, israel) or 20 ng/ml Wnt3a (peprotech, israel), and then undergoing osteogenic differentiation induction for 5 days, the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation induction by the method of Example above (10% biodegradable synthetic bio-gel) were visually observed for osteogenic differentiation through a phase contrast microscope. In addition, in order to investigate the osteogenically differentiated cells through Alizarin red staining, the cells were washed twice with PBS, fixed with 70% ethyl alcohol at room temperature for 10 minutes, and then washed twice with tertiary distilled water. Thereafter, the cells were treated with Sol I of Alizarin Red staining kit (CB-SK-Osteo), followed by reaction at room temperature for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the cells were cleanly washed three times with Sol I, and subjected to image analysis using an inverted microscope (LEICA, Germany). In addition, for digitization of the results, the cells were treated with Sol III after image synthesis to perform a reaction for 30 minutes, so that the stained reagent was completely dissolved. Then, 100 μl of the dissolved solution was taken, placed in a 96-well plate, and the absorbance was measured at 550 nm. As a result, the osteogenic efficiency was significantly excellent in the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells using the method of Example of the present disclosure rather than when the osteogenic differentiation was induced by the method of Comparative Example 2 for 5 days plus the treatment with BMP and Wnt3a known to promote osteogenic differentiation (FIG. 6).

Test Example 4

Verification on Change Depending the Period for Osteogenic Differentiation of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells

[0051] The umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation for 1, 3, 5, or 7 days by the method of Example above (10% biodegradable synthetic bio-gel) were subjected to image analysis through Alizarin red staining. In addition, for digitization of the results, the absorbance was measured at 550 nm. As a result, the induction of osteogenic differentiation began from the 1st day of osteogenic differentiation induction, and the osteogenic differentiation was stronger as the period for osteogenic differentiation was longer. Especially, the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, which have been known to undergo less osteogenic differentiation in the conventional two-dimensional method compared with the other types of mesenchymal stem cells, showed favorable osteogenic differentiation in the three-dimensional osteogenic differentiation method of Example of the present disclosure, like the other types of mesenchymal stem cells (FIG. 7).

Test Example 5

Verification on Osteogenic Differentiation of Various Types of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

[0052] Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells, and periodontal ligament cell were allowed to undergo the induction of osteogenic differentiation by the method of Comparative Example 1 for 14 days, the method of Comparative Example 2 (0% biodegradable synthetic bio-gel) for 5 days, or the method of Example above (10% biodegradable synthetic bio-gel) for 5 days, and then the degree of osteogenic differentiation of each type of mesenchymal stem cells was investigated through Alizarin red staining.

[0053] As a result, the osteogenic differentiation of the mesenchymal stem cells was not induced when the osteogenic differentiation was induced for 5 days by the method of Comparative Example 1 and the method of Comparative Example 2, but the osteogenic differentiation was favorably induced regardless of the origin of the mesenchymal stem cells when the osteogenic differentiation was three-dimensionally induced on the biodegradable synthetic bio-gel for 5 days (FIG. 8).

[0054] As described above, it was verified that the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells takes about 2-5 weeks by the conventional two-dimensional osteogenic differentiation method, but the osteogenic differentiation occurs within 3-7 days when using the three-dimensional osteogenic differentiation method of the present disclosure of placing the polymer membrane above the cell culture container in a non-contact manner, coating the hydrogel thereon, seeding the mesenchymal stem cells thereon, culturing the mesenchymal stem cells in the osteogenic differentiation pre-treatment medium, and treating the mesenchymal stem cells with the osteogenic differentiation inducing medium.