Enhanced adhesion and proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on β‑tricalcium phosphate modified by an affinity peptide

: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are often used in orthopedic tissue engineering, and bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are currently considered the gold standard. One of the most important issues in MSC‑based tissue engineering therapy is the low number of MSCs in pathological tissues. Achieving efficient recruitment of MSCs to defective or damaged tissues in vivo has been a difficult hurdle. The aim of the present study was to construct a biomaterial that can effectively recruit BMSCs to facilitate the repair of pathological tissues. So functional β‑tricalcium phosphate (β‑TCP) was synthesized using the BMSC affinity peptide DPIYALSWSGMA (DPI) adsorbed onto β‑TCP through an adsorption/freeze‑drying strategy. C57BL/6 mouse‑derived BMSCs were seeded onto the DPI peptide‑modified β‑TCP (β‑TCP‑DPI); in vitro experiments demonstrated that β‑TCP‑DPI enhanced BMSC adhesion and proliferation compared with unmodified β‑TCP. Results from the present study indicated that functional β‑TCP may be used as an ideal scaffold in tissue engineering and in regenerative medicine.