Porous PLLA scaffolds are optimal substrates for internal colonization by A6 mesoangioblasts and immunocytochemical analyses

In the present paper, mouse mesoangioblasts were seeded onto bidimensional matrices and within three-dimensional porous scaffolds of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), in the presence or absence of type I collagen coating, observed under the scanning electron microscope, and tested for their adhesion, survival and proliferation. Immunolocalization of Hsp70, an abundant and ubiquitous intracellular protein in these cells, was also performed in sectioned cell-containing scaffolds under the confocal fluorescence microscope to check whether "in situ" analysis of intracellular constituents was feasible. The data obtained show that PLLA films allow direct cell adhesion and represent an optimal support for cell growth, and that the internal surfaces of PLLA polymeric sponges can be colonized by mesoangioblasts which can be submitted to "in situ" confocal microscopic analyses for possible monitoring of time-dependent expression of differentiation markers.