Heparin-conjugated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanospheres enhance large-wound healing by delivering growth factors in platelet-rich plasma.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains many growth factors that are involved in tissue regeneration processes. For successful tissue regeneration, protein growth factors require a delivery vehicle for long-term and sustained release to a defect site in order to maintain their bioactivity. Previously, we showed that heparin-conjugated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanospheres (HCPNs) can provide long-term delivery of growth factors with affinity for heparin. In this study, we hypothesize that treatment of a skin wound with a mixture of PRP and HCPNs would provide long-term delivery of several growth factors contained in PRP to promote the skin wound healing process with preservation of bioactivity. The release of platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), contained in PRP, from HCPN with fibrin gel (FG) showed a prolonged release period versus a PRP mixture with FG alone (FG-PRP). Also, growth factors released from PRP with HCPN and FG showed sustained human dermal fibroblast growth for 12 days. Full-thickness skin wound treatment in mice with FG-HCPN-PRP resulted in much faster wound closure as well as dermal and epidermal regeneration at day 9 compared with treatment with FG-HCPN or FG-PRP. The enhanced wound healing using FG-HCPN-PRP may be due to the prolonged release not only of PDGF-BB but also of other growth factors in the PRP. The delivered growth factors accelerated angiogenesis at the wound site.

Delivery of a therapeutic protein for bone regeneration from a substrate coated with graphene oxide.

The therapeutic efficacy of drugs often depends on the drug delivery carrier. For efficient delivery of therapeutic proteins, delivery carriers should enable the loading of large doses, sustained release, and retention of the bioactivity of the therapeutic proteins. Here, it is demonstrated that graphene oxide (GO) is an efficient carrier for delivery of therapeutic proteins. Titanium (Ti) substrates are coated with GO through layer-by-layer assembly of positively (GO-NH3⁺) and negatively (GO-COO⁻) charged GO sheets. Subsequently, a therapeutic protein (bone morphogenetic protein-2, BMP-2) is loaded on the GO-coated Ti substrate with the outermost coating layer of GO-COO⁻ (Ti/GO⁻). The GO coating on Ti substrate enables loading of large doses and the sustained release of BMP-2 with preservation of the structure and bioactivity of the drug. The extent of in vitro osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells is higher when they are cultured on Ti/GO- carrying BMP-2 than when they are cultured on Ti with BMP-2. Eight weeks after implantation in mouse models of calvarial defects, the Ti/GO-/BMP-2 implants show more robust new bone formation compared with Ti, Ti/GO-, or Ti/BMP-2 implants. Therefore, GO is an effective carrier for the controlled delivery of therapeutic proteins, such as BMP-2, which promotes osteointegration of orthopedic or dental Ti implants.

Controlled delivery of low-dose bone morphogenetic protein-2 using heparin-conjugated fibrin in the posterolateral lumbar fusion of rabbits.

The heparin-conjugated fibrin (HCF) system has been developed to deliver bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) for a long-term period and thus enhance bone regeneration. In the present study, we tested the effectiveness of the delivery system for spinal fusion with a very low dose of BMP-2. A total of 15 rabbits underwent posterolateral lumbar spine, divided into three groups. The control group received only collagen sponges without BMP-2, another group (BMP-only group) received collagen sponges loaded with BMP-2 (10 µg each side), and the last group (BMP/HCF group) received collagen sponges filled with HCF loaded with BMP-2 (10 µg each side). All animals were euthanized 8 weeks after surgery, and the fusion was assessed by radiographs, manual palpation, computed tomography scan, and mechanical testing. No case in the BMP/HCF group or in the control group achieved solid fusion, while all cases in BMP-only group showed evidence of solid fusion. BMP/HCF group had significantly lower fusion rate and tensile strength than BMP-only group at the dose of 10 µg of BMP-2. The HCF long-term delivery system with the low dose of BMP-2 (10 µg) is ineffective for the induction of lumbar posterolateral fusion in the rabbits.

The effect of the delivery carrier on the quality of bone formed via bone morphogenetic protein-2.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) can induce bone generation in vivo. Although many studies have demonstrated an increased quantity of regenerated bone after the delivery of BMP-2 using various carriers, little is known about the effect of the carrier type on the quality of the regenerated bone. In this study, we compared the quality of regenerated bone when BMP-2 was delivered with either ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) or heparin-conjugated fibrin (HCF), both of which are shown to be excellent carriers for BMP-2. The profile of the release of BMP-2 was not significantly different between the delivery carriers. However, the alkaline phosphate activity of cultured osteoblasts was significantly higher when BMP-2 was delivered using HCF than when BMP-2 was delivered using ß-TCP. To evaluate the quality of the regenerated bone, both types of BMP-2 carriers were implanted into critical-sized calvarial defects in mice. Eight weeks after implantation, the regenerated bone was examined by histomorphometry. Importantly, the treatment using HCF + BMP-2 and ß-TCP + BMP-2 resulted in similar bone formation areas. However, the treatment using HCF + BMP-2 resulted in significantly higher bone density than the treatment using ß-TCP + BMP-2. This study shows that a BMP-2 delivery carrier can modulate the quality of bone regenerated via BMP-2 delivery.

Efficient formation of cell spheroids using polymer nanofibers.

Spheroid culture has been used for suspension cultures of anchorage-dependent cells. In this study, we developed a new method for the suspension cultures of anchorage-dependent animal cells using polymer nanofibers. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanofibers (785 nm in average fiber-diameter, 88 µm in average fiber-length) fabricated by the electrospinning method were added to each suspension culture of human embryonic kidney 293 cells and human dermal fibroblasts. As compared to no addition of nanofibers to the suspension cultures, nanofibers enhanced cell spheroid formation, thereby reducing cell death resulting from a lack of cell adhesion. Efficient formation of spheroids in the presence of polymer nanofibers may be useful for the suspension cultures of anchorage-dependent cells.

Enhanced chondrogenic marker expression of human mesenchymal stem cells by interaction with both TGF-ß3 and hyaluronic acid.

This study was designed to evaluate the additive effects of transforming growth factor-beta3 (TGF-ß3) and hyaluronic acid (HA) on chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The hMSCs were cultured on collagen type I-, HA-, or fibronectin-coated cell culture dishes with or without TGF-ß3 added to the culture medium. Four weeks after cell culture, chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs was determined by evaluating the expression of cartilage-specific markers using real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, and Western blot analysis. hMSCs cultured on HA-coated dishes with TGF-ß3 supplementation revealed a prominent increase in collagen type II, aggrecan, and Sox9. When hMSCs were cultured without TGF-ß3 supplementation, only hMSCs cultured on HA-coated dishes showed prominent expression of the cartilage-specific markers. This study shows that chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs can be enhanced additively by interactions with both a specific cell-adhesion matrix and a soluble growth factor.

The efficacy of bone morphogenetic protein-2 depends on its mode of delivery.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) induces bone regeneration in a dose-dependent manner, with higher doses of BMP-2 inducing greater bone formation. Previously, we showed that long-term delivery of BMP-2 provides better ectopic bone formation than short-term delivery of an equivalent dose. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of orthotopic bone formation over a range of BMP-2 doses, using different delivery modes. Heparin-conjugated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanospheres suspended in fibrin gel were used as a long-term delivery system, and fibrin gel was used as a short-term delivery system. Different doses of BMP-2 were delivered to mouse calvarial defects using either long-term or short-term delivery systems. Eight weeks after treatment, bone regeneration was evaluated by histomorphometry. For both delivery systems, bone regeneration increased as the BMP-2 dose increased up to 1 µg and did not increase beyond this dose. Importantly, at BMP-2 doses higher than 1 µg, long-term delivery resulted in much greater bone formation than short-term delivery. This study shows that long-term delivery of BMP-2 is more effective at enhancing orthotopic bone formation than short-term delivery over a range of doses.

Enhanced nerve growth factor efficiency in neural cell culture by immobilization on the culture substrate.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) immobilization on a culture substrate may dramatically reduce the amount of NGF required for pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell culture. Coverslips on which NGF had been immobilized, or with NGF added to the culture medium daily, were used to culture PC12 cells. We examined the effects of adding 5, 10, or 100 ng of NGF to cultures daily, and compared them to the effects of immobilizing 5, 10, or 100 ng of NGF on culture substrates in a single dose. Cultures with 10 or 5 ng NGF added daily showed dramatically decreased cell viability, mitochondrial metabolic activity, and neuronal differentiation compared to cultures with 100 ng NGF added daily, while also exhibiting increased apoptosis. In contrast, a single dose of 100 ng immobilized NGF yielded results similar to 100 ng NGF added daily (total: 300 ng over 3 days), and 10 or 5 ng immobilized NGF showed far better results than 10 or 5 ng NGF added daily. These results demonstrate that NGF immobilization can dramatically reduce the amount of NGF required in neuronal cell culture.

Synergetic effect of 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine-modified poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanopatterned patch with fibroblast growth factor-2 for skin wound regeneration.

Nanoscale topography substrates have potential in guiding cell polarization and migration. Wound healing can be accelerated by nanotopographical substrates which provided appropriate direction to host cells around wound site. We fabricated biodegradable poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanopatterned patch (nP-patch) using capillary force lithography method. Simple surface modification was applied using 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (LD), which has been reported as effective adhesion molecules with similar structure as mussel protein, to immobilize fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) on PLGA patches. In present study, we hypothesized that nP-patch could be enhanced the cell migration in vitro by a guide of nanotopography and that nP-patch with soluble growth factor could accelerate skin wound healing in vivo. To investigate its nanotopographical effect on cell behavior, human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells were cultured on nP-patch and flat PLGA patch (F-patch). The rate of surface coverage was measured on nP-patch with vertical or parallel orientation. The surface coverage rate was significantly enhanced by nP-patch with vertical orientation compared to the parallel orientation or the F-patch. We made a full thickness (Ø 18 mm) wound on the back of athymic mice and implanted PLGA patches with or without FGF2. FGF2-loaded nP-patch showed much faster wound closure in 21 days compared to others. Histological analysis showed that regenerated tissue had a similar structure as native skin. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 594-604, 2017.

Enhanced Bone Repair by Guided Osteoblast Recruitment Using Topographically Defined Implant.

The rapid recruitment of osteoblasts in bone defects is an essential prerequisite for efficient bone repair. Conventionally, osteoblast recruitment to bone defects and subsequent bone repair has been achieved using growth factors. Here, we present a methodology that can guide the recruitment of osteoblasts to bone defects with topographically defined implants (TIs) for efficient in vivo bone repair. We compared circular TIs that had microgrooves in parallel or radial arrangements with nonpatterned implants for osteoblast migration and in vivo bone formation. In vitro, the microgrooves in the TIs enhanced both the migration and proliferation of osteoblasts. Especially, the microgrooves with radial arrangement demonstrated a much higher efficiency of osteoblast recruitment to the implants than did the other types of implants, which may be due to the efficient guidance of cell migration toward the cell-free area of the implants. The expression of the intracellular signaling molecules responsible for the cell migration was also upregulated in osteoblasts on the microgrooved TIs. In vivo, the TI with radially defined topography demonstrated much greater bone repair in mouse calvarial defect models than in the other types of implants. Taken together, these results indicate that implants with physical guidance can enhance tissue repair by rapid cell recruitment.

Extracellular matrix-inspired BMP-2-delivering biodegradable fibrous particles for bone tissue engineering.

Growth factors have been used to regenerate specific tissue structures by stimulating proliferation and migration of target cells, as well as regulating differentiation of various stem cells. To improve tissue regeneration, growth factors need effective delivery carriers to effect their long-term and sustained release to the target region. For this reason, we fabricated a valuable growth factor delivery carrier termed fibrous particles (FPs) with a morphology similar to that of the extracellular matrix (ECM). These FPs were prepared by aminolysis of poly(l-lactic acid) nanofibrous sheets and modified for sustaining growth factor delivery by heparinization (to produce Hep-FPs). We confirmed that Hep-FPs showed stable bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) binding and sustained BMP-2 releasing. In addition, the released BMP-2 from the Hep-FPs successfully improved alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization of human mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. To demonstrate the effect of bone regeneration using the BMP-2 delivery carrier, we implanted FPs, Hep-FPs, FPs-BMP-2, and Hep-FPs-BMP-2 onto a critically sized region of a mouse calvarial defect (∅ 4 mm). After 8 weeks of treatment, Hep-FPs-BMP-2 exhibited broader new bone formation and much higher bone density at the defect area than did the other particles. Therefore, FPs resembling the ECM can be used as an instructive tool for a variety of tissue regeneration purposes.

pH-triggered release of manganese from MnAu nanoparticles that enables cellular neuronal differentiation without cellular toxicity.

At high concentrations, manganese (Mn) promotes cellular neurodevelopment but causes toxicity. Here, we report that Mn ion at high concentrations can be delivered to pheochromocytoma 12 (PC12) cells using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to enhance cellular neurodevelopment without toxicity. Mn(2+) release from AuNPs was designed to be pH-responsive so that low pH condition of the cell endosomes can trigger in situ release of Mn(2+) from AuNPs after cellular uptake of Mn-incorporated AuNPs (MnAuNPs). Due to the differences in reduction potentials of Mn and Au, only Mn ionized and released while Au remained intact when MnAuNPs were uptaken by cells. Compared to PC12 cells treated with a high concentration of free Mn(2+), PC12 cells treated with an equal concentration of MnAuNPs resulted in significantly enhanced cellular neurodevelopment with decreased apoptosis and necrosis. Treatment with a high concentration of free Mn(2+) led to an abrupt consumption of a large amount of ATP for the intracellular transport of Mn(2+) through the ion channel of the cell membrane and to mitochondrial damage caused by the high intracellular concentration of Mn(2+), both of which resulted in cell necrosis and apoptosis. In contrast, MnAuNP-treated cells consumed much smaller amount of ATP for the intracellular transport of MnAuNPs by endocytosis and showed pH-triggered in situ release of Mn(2+) from the MnAuNPs in the endosomes of the cells, both of which prevented the cell death caused by ATP depletion and mitochondrial damage. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of AuNPs as a vehicle for pH-responsive, intracellular delivery of metal ion, which may open a new window for drug delivery and clinical therapy.

A dual delivery of substance P and bone morphogenetic protein-2 for mesenchymal stem cell recruitment and bone regeneration.

Implantation of ex vivo expanded and osteogenically differentiated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for bone regeneration has drawbacks for clinical applications, such as poor survival of implanted cells and increased treatment expenses. As a new approach for bone regeneration that can circumvent these limitations, we propose dual delivery of substance P (SP) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) to facilitate endogenous stem cell recruitment to bone defects by SP and subsequent in situ osteogenic differentiation of those cells by BMP-2. A heparin-conjugated fibrin (HCF) gel enabled dual delivery with fast release of SP and slow release of BMP-2, which would be ideal for prompt recruitment of endogenous stem cells in the first stage and time-consuming osteogenic differentiation of the recruited stem cells in the second stage. The HCF gels with SP and/or BMP-2 were implanted into mouse calvarial defects for 8 weeks. Local delivery of SP to the calvarial defects using HCF gel was more effective in recruiting MSCs to the calvarial defects than intraperitoneal or intravenous administration of SP. Many of the cells recruited by SP underwent osteogenic differentiation through local delivery of BMP-2. The efficacy of in vivo bone regeneration was significantly higher in the SP/BMP-2 dual delivery group. The dual delivery of SP and BMP-2 using the HCF gel therefore has potential as an effective bone regeneration strategy.

Delivery of bone morphogenetic protein-2 and substance P using graphene oxide for bone regeneration.

In this study, we demonstrate that graphene oxide (GO) can be used for the delivery of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and substance P (SP), and that this delivery promotes bone formation on titanium (Ti) implants that are coated with GO. GO coating on Ti substrate enabled a sustained release of BMP-2. BMP-2 delivery using GO-coated Ti exhibited a higher alkaline phosphatase activity in bone-forming cells in vitro compared with bare Ti. SP, which is known to recruit mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), was co-delivered using Ti or GO-coated Ti to further promote bone formation. SP induced the migration of MSCs in vitro. The dual delivery of BMP-2 and SP using GO-coated Ti showed the greatest new bone formation on Ti implanted in the mouse calvaria compared with other groups. This approach may be useful to improve osteointegration of Ti in dental or orthopedic implants.

Mutual effect of subcutaneously transplanted human adipose-derived stem cells and pancreatic islets within fibrin gel.

While subcutaneous tissue has been proposed as a potential site for pancreatic islet transplantation, concern remains that the microvasculature of subcutaneous tissue is too poor to support transplanted islets. In an effort to overcome this limitation, we evaluated whether fibrin gel with human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) and rat pancreatic islets could cure diabetes mellitus when transplanted into the subcutaneous space of diabetic mice. Subcutaneously co-transplanted islets and hADSCs showed normalization of the diabetic recipient's blood glucose levels. The result was enhanced by co-treatment of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) in the fibrin gel. The hADSCs enhanced islet viability after transplantation by secreting various growth factors that can protect islets from hypoxic damage. Afterward, hADSCs could maintain islet viability by recruiting new microvasculature nearby the transplanted islets via overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The hADSCs did not directly differentiate into endothelial cells (no detection of biomarkers of human endothelial cells), but showed evidence of differentiation toward insulin-secreting cells (detection of human insulin). Mice receiving islet transplantation alone did not become normoglycemic. Collectively, co-transplantation of fibrin gel with islets and hADSCs will expand the indications for islet transplant therapy and the potential clinical application of cell-based therapy.

Culture on a 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine-coated surface promotes the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells.

The culture surface can affect the in vitro differentiation of stem cells. In this study, we investigated whether modifying the culture surface with 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (DOPA), an element of mussel adhesion protein, could enhance the in vitro osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs). hBMMSCs cultured on DOPA-coated plates exhibited better cell adhesion and spreading compared with noncoated conventional tissue culture plates. The DOPA coated did not affect the apoptosis or viability of the cultured hBMMSCs. Also, hBMMSCs cultured on DOPA-coated plates exhibited a higher degree of osteogenic differentiation than did hBMMSCs cultured on noncoated plates, as evaluated with alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity, calcium content, and the mRNA expression of runt-related transcription factor 2, ALP, and osteocalcin. Further, hBMMSCs cultured on DOPA-coated plates demonstrated a higher capability of ectopic bone formation in vivo following implantation in the subcutaneous space of athymic mice compared with hBMMSCs cultured on noncoated plates, as evaluated with microcomputer topography analysis and histomorphometry. These results indicate that modifying the culture surface with DOPA can enhance the in vitro osteogenic differentiation of hBMMSCs.

pH-responsive assembly of gold nanoparticles and "spatiotemporally concerted" drug release for synergistic cancer therapy.

A challenge in using plasmonic nanostructure-drug conjugates for thermo-chemo combination cancer therapy lies in the huge size discrepancy; the size difference can critically differentiate their biodistributions and hamper the synergistic effect. Properly tuning the plasmonic wavelength for photothermal therapy typically results in the nanostructure size reaching ∼100 nm. We report a new combination cancer therapy platform that consists of relatively small 10 nm pH-responsive spherical gold nanoparticles and conjugated doxorubicins. They are designed to form aggregates in mild acidic environment such as in a tumor. The aggregates serve as a photothermal agent that can selectively exploit external light by their collective plasmon modes. Simultaneously, the conjugated doxorubicins are released. The spatiotemporal concertion is confirmed at the subcellular, cellular, and organ levels. Both agents colocalize in the cell nuclei. The conjugates accumulate in cancer cells by the rapid phagocytic actions and effective blockage of exocytosis by the increased aggregate size. They also effectively accumulate in tumors up to 17 times over the control because of the enhanced permeation and retention. The conjugates exhibit a synergistic effect enhanced by nearly an order of magnitude in cellular level. The synergistic effect is demonstrated by the remarkable reductions in both the therapeutically effective drug dosage and the photothermal laser threshold. Using an animal model, effective tumor growth suppression is demonstrated. The conjugates induce apoptosis to tumors without any noticeable damage to other organs. The synergistic effect in vivo is confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis over the thermal stress and drug-induced growth arrest.

Dual roles of hyaluronic acids in multilayer films capturing nanocarriers for drug-eluting coatings.

We developed hyaluronic acid (HA)-based multilayer films capturing polymeric nanocarriers (NCs) for drug delivery. The electrostatic interactions between positively charged linear polyethylene imines (LPEI) and negatively charged HAs are the main driving forces to form multilayers based on the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition. NCs were easily incorporated within the multilayer film due to intra- and/or inter-hydrogen bonding among HA chains. The amount of NCs captured by the HA chains was varied by the ratio between HAs and NCs as well as the length (i.e., molecular weight) and absolute number density of HAs in solution. Biocompatibility of the NC-capturing HA multilayer films was tested with the human dermal fibroblast (HDF) culture. In addition, the controlled release of paclitaxel (PTX) from the HA multilayer films successfully led to the apoptosis of human aortic smooth muscle cells (hSMC) in vitro, implying that the NC-capturing HA multilayer films would be quite useful as drug-eluting stent systems to prevent the restenosis after surgery.

Comparison between heparin-conjugated fibrin and collagen sponge as bone morphogenetic protein-2 carriers for bone regeneration.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is used to promote bone regeneration. However, the bone regeneration ability of BMP-2 relies heavily on the delivery vehicle. Previously, we have developed heparin- conjugated fibrin (HCF), a vehicle for long-term delivery of BMP-2 and demonstrated that long-term delivery of BMP-2 enhanced its osteogenic efficacy as compared to short-term delivery at an equivalent dose. The aim of this study was to compare the bone-forming ability of the BMP-2 delivered by HCF to that delivered by clinically utilized BMP-2 delivery vehicle collagen sponge. An in vitro release profile of BMP-2 showed that HCF released 80% of the loaded BMP-2 within 20 days, whereas collagen sponge released the same amount within the first 6 days. Moreover, the BMP-2 released from the HCF showed significantly higher alkaline phosphatase activity than the BMP-2 released from collagen sponge at 2 weeks in vitro. Various doses of BMP-2 were delivered with HCF or collagen sponge to mouse calvarial defects. Eight weeks after the treatment, bone regeneration was evaluated by computed tomography, histology, and histomorphometric analysis. The dose of BMP-2 delivered by HCF to achieve 100% bone formation in the defects was less than half of the BMP-2 dose delivered by collagen sponge to achieve a similar level of bone formation. Additionally, bone regenerated by the HCF-BMP-2 had higher bone density than bone regenerated by the collagen sponge-BMP-2. These data demonstrate that HCF as a BMP-2 delivery vehicle exerts better osteogenic ability of BMP-2 than collagen sponge, a clinically utilized delivery vehicle.

3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine-assisted hydroxyapatite nanoparticle coating on polymer scaffolds for efficient osteoconduction.

For bone regeneration applications, scaffolds made from a composite of a biodegradable polymer and ceramic have advantages over scaffolds made from only one component (biodegradable polymer or ceramic alone). In this study, a simple and rapid method was developed to induce hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticle adsorption on polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffold surfaces. PGA meshes were coated with HA nanoparticles by immersing the scaffolds in a buffer solution containing 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), a critical, functional element in mussel adhesive protein known to strongly bind to various materials. Substantial HA coating on PGA scaffolds was achieved within 24 hours of immersion, as determined according to selective staining of ceramic particles, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. To evaluate the osteoconduction efficacy of the scaffolds in vivo, PGA scaffolds, DOPA-coated PGA scaffolds, PGA scaffolds immersed in HA solution, and HA- and DOPA-coated PGA (HA-DOPA-PGA) scaffolds were implanted in critical-sized defects in mouse skulls for 8 weeks. Micro-computed tomography and histological analyses showed that bone regeneration in vivo was far more extensive on HA-DOPA-PGA scaffolds than on the other scaffolds. DOPA offers an efficient and simple method of HA coating on polymer scaffolds. HA-polymer composite scaffolds fabricated using this method could be useful as bone graft.