Efficient improvement of the proliferation, differentiation, and anti-arthritic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells by simply culturing on the immobilized FGF2 derived peptide, 44-ERGVVSIKGV-53

•Growth factors play important roles in stem cell proliferation and differentiation.•Immobilization of FP2 peptide, 44-ERGVVSIKGV-53 is performed via EDC/NHS chemistry.•FP2 peptide-cultured hWJ-MSCs show enhanced in vitro proliferation and differentiation.•FP2 phosphorylates FRS2α and FGFR1 signaling pathways.•Transplantation of FP2 peptide-cultured cells ameliorates arthritis symptoms in an osteoarthritis mouse model.