Effect of citric acid crosslinking cellulose‐based hydrogels on osteogenic differentiation

Abstract Understanding the relationships between material surface properties and cellular responses is essential to designing optimal material surfaces for implantation and tissue engineering. In this study, cellulose hydrogels were crosslinked using a non‐toxic and natural component namely citric acid. The chemical treatment induces COOH functional groups that improve the hydrophilicity, roughness, and materials rheological properties. The physiochemical, morphological, and mechanical analyses were performed to analyze the material surface before and after crosslinking. This approach would help determine if the effect of chemical treatment on cellulose hydrogel improves the hydrophilicity, roughness, and rheological properties of the scaffold. In this study, it was demonstrated that the biological responses of human mesenchymal stem cell with regard to cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation were influenced in vitro by changing the surface chemistry and roughness. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 2045–2056, 2015.