A thermosensitive RGD-modified hydroxybutyl chitosan hydrogel as a 3D scaffold for BMSCs culture on keloid treatment

Cell therapy with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is a potential method for many disease treatments, including keloid. In the present study, an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) modified hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) hydrogel (HBC-RGD) was developed to enhance the adhesion and proliferation of BMSCs within the hydrogel. The successful synthesis of HBC-RGD was confirmed by FTIR and 1H NMR. Both HBC and HBC-RGD hydrogel had desired thermosensitivity, biocompatibility and enzymatic degradability in vitro. Compared with HBC hydrogel, HBC-RGD hydrogel was more beneficial for the adhesion and proliferation of BMSCs. Furthermore, the BMSCs incorporated HBC-RGD (BMSCs/HBC-RGD) hydrogel could inhibit the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts (Kfs) and suppress the nodular collagenous fibers of keloid tissue. These results suggested that the HBC-RGD hydrogel could be applied as a potential 3D hydrogel scaffold for cell culture, and BMSCs/HBC-RGD hydrogel was potential to be applied for keloid therapy with subcutaneous in-situ injection in the future.