Osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs on MoS2 composite nanofibers with different cell seeding densities

Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) exhibits unique properties that are useful for various biomedical applications. Owing to its distinct characteristics and osteogenic differentiation promotion effect, this material has been studied extensively. However, the effect of cell density on osteogenic differentiation between MoS2-based biomaterials and cells is still unknown. In this study, we used MoS2/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite nanofibres as substrates to evaluate the effect of cellular density on the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). We created different experimental groups with increasing cell seeding densities and investigated cellular behaviours, biocompatibility, proliferation and osteogenic properties. The results show that MoS2/PAN composite nanofibres can positively regulate osteogenic differentiation. More importantly, in the presence of standard culture conditions, 1.0 × 104 cells/cm2 is the most efficient and suitable cell seeding density for BMSCs osteogenic differentiation. Our findings suggest that the optimal cell density for osteogenesis is vital for the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs when these cells are cultured onto MoS2-based biomaterials.