WST-1 and BrdU incorporation assays.

(A) The WST-1 assay performed on hAMSCs cultured on the fibrin-based scaffold (Control Scaffold = CTR Scaffold) showed a higher metabolic activity than hAMSCs cultured on Petri dishes (Control Petri dish = CTR Petri dish). The differentiated cells cultured on the fibrin-based scaffold treated with NO (NO Scaffold) showed a decrease in metabolic activity. (B) The BrdU pulse-labelling time-course performed on hAMSCs cultured on CTR Scaffold showed a higher and more rapid proliferation rate up to 5 days, in comparison with cells cultured on CTR Petri dish. After that the cell proliferation rate on CTR scaffold slowly decrease up to reach the same value of the CTR Petri dish at 10–14 days. Cells treated with NO (NO Scaffold) decrease their proliferation rate from days 2 up to 5, while from days 6 up to 14 showed a higher proliferation rate, in comparison with the control cells.