Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are widely used in biomedical
applications,
such as cancer therapy/diagnosis or tissue engineering and regenerative
medicine. Herein, we synthesized SiNPs and modified them with sulfonic
acid groups (by organosilylation followed by oxidation) or a sulfated
polysaccharide (i.e., fucoidan, a seaweed biopolymer, by using electrostatic
surface immobilization) due to the known capacity of the sulfonic/sulfate
moieties to stabilize proteins and promote stem cell differentiation
toward the osteogenic lineage. The developed pristine and functionalized
nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS),
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy
(TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), showing the monodisperse
size distribution (between 360 and 450 nm) and the success of the
coating/functionalization with fucoidan or sulfonic groups. The developed
SiNPs (at a concentration of 50 μg/mL) were assessed through
their contact with SaOs2 cells evidencing their cytocompatibility.
Furthermore, the osteogenic differentiation of bmMSCs was evaluated
by the quantification of ALP activity, as well as the expression profile
of osteogenic-related genes, such as Runx2, ALP, and OP. We found
that the coating of the SiNPs with fucoidan induced the osteogenic
differentiation of bmMSCs, being an effective mediator of bone regeneration.