The broader application of liposomes in regenerative medicine is hampered by their short half-life and inefficient retention at the site of application. These disadvantages could be significantly reduced by their combination with nanofibers. We produced 2 different nanofiber-liposome systems in the present study, that is, liposomes blended within nanofibers and core/shell nanofibers with embedded liposomes. Herein, we demonstrate that blend electrospinning does not conserve intact liposomes. In contrast, coaxial electrospinning enables the incorporation of liposomes into nanofibers. We report polyvinyl alcohol-core/poly-ε-caprolactone-shell nanofibers with embedded liposomes and show that they preserve the enzymatic activity of encapsulated horseradish peroxidase. The potential of this system was also demonstrated by the enhancement of mesenchymal stem cell proliferation. In conclusion, intact liposomes incorporated into nanofibers by coaxial electrospinning are very promising as a drug delivery system.

Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) are mesenchymal stem cells that have been successfully used in human bone tissue engineering. To establish whether these cells can lead to a bone tissue ready to be grafted, we checked DPSCs for their osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation capabilities with the specific aim of obtaining a new tool for bone transplantation. Therefore, hDPSCs were specifically selected from the stromal–vascular dental pulp fraction, using appropriate markers, and cultured. Growth curves, expression of bone-related markers, calcification and angiogenesis as well as an in vivo transplantation assay were performed. We found that hDPSCs proliferate, differentiate into osteoblasts and express high levels of angiogenic genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor A. Human DPSCs, after 40 days of culture, give rise to a 3D structure resembling a woven fibrous bone. These woven bone (WB) samples were analysed using classic histology and synchrotron-based, X-ray phase-contrast microtomography and holotomography. WB showed histological and attractive physical qualities of bone with few areas of mineralization and neovessels. Such WB, when transplanted into rats, was remodelled into vascularized bone tissue. Taken together, our data lead to the assumption that WB samples, fabricated by DPSCs, constitute a noteworthy tool and do not need the use of scaffolds, and therefore they are ready for customized regeneration.