Preparation and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels crosslinked by biodegradable polyurethane for tissue engineering of cartilage

Polyurethane was prepared from hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) and polycaprolactone diol (PCL) with stoichiometry ratio of two in a reactor to form prepolymer. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at PVA/prepolymer ratios of 8, 4, 2 and 1 was crosslinked with the former degradable polyester polyurethane. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was employed to confirm polyurethane formation during the course of reactions. FTIR spectrum revealed bands at 1729–1733 cm^? 1 and 3347–3340 cm^? 1 which indicates carbonyl and NH of amine groups, respectively. Polyurethane formation was also confirmed by the absence of the isocyanate peaks (NCO) at 2270 cm^? 1. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) showed that by increasing prepolymer concentration glass transition temperature decreases from 26 °C for PVA to 19 °C for sample with PVA/prepolymer ratio of 4 and then it rises up to 31 °C. Water uptake measurements illustrated about four fold reduction in swelling ratio of PVA after crosslinking and the sample with equal amounts of PVA and PPU had water uptake of 100%, close to that of a natural cartilage and much less than PVA (425%). All samples had compressive modulus in the range of the articular cartilage (1.9–14.4 MPa). The morphology of the isolated cells on the samples was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and revealed cell attachment and proliferation. The cell viability (3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, MTT) and GAG expression (dimethylmethylene blue, DMMB) assays with human chondrocytes on the sample with PVA/prepolymer ratio of one showed about 14 and 33% increase in cell viability and GAG expression after 14 days of culture compare to the PVA, respectively.     

Characterization and enhancement of chondrogenesis in porous hyaluronic acid-modified scaffolds made of PLGA(75/25) blended with PEI-grafted PLGA(50/50)

Hyaluronic acid (HA) improves the quality of microfracture-mediated cartilage regeneration by recruiting bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and chondrocytes. An HA-enriched scaffold was investigated to enhance chondrogenesis by BMSCs and chondrocytes in articular cartilage tissue engineering with the microfracture technique. Pre-fabricated porous PGP2/1 [poly(d,l-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)(75/25) blended with polyethylenimine-grafted-poly(d,l-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)(50/50) in a 2:1 ratio] scaffolds with 72.7% porosity and a 200–400-μm pore size were generated via the gas foaming/salt leaching method. HA-modified porous PGP2/1 (HA-PGP) scaffolds were used as the HA-enriched microenvironment. The mRNA levels of chondrogenic marker genes (SOX-9, aggrecan and type II collagen) were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) deposition was detected by Alcian blue staining and dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assays. The expression of the chondrogenic genes type II collagen and aggrecan was significantly elevated in chondrocytes and BMSCs grown on HA-PGP scaffolds after seven days of culturing. BMSCs cultured in HA-PGP scaffolds showed increased sGAG content after four weeks of culturing. These results demonstrate that HA-PGP scaffolds provide a microenvironment that induces chondrogenesis by chondrocytes and BMSCs, which may be beneficial for regenerating cartilage-like tissue in vivo with the microfracture technique.     

Intra-articular administration of hyaluronic acid increases the volume of the hyaline cartilage regenerated in a large osteochondral defect by implantation of a double-network gel

Implantation of PAMPS/PDMAAm double-network (DN) gel can induce hyaline cartilage regeneration in the osteochondral defect. However, it is a problem that the volume of the regenerated cartilage tissue is gradually reduced at 12 weeks. This study investigated whether intra-articular administration of hyaluronic acid (HA) increases the volume of the cartilage regenerated with the DN gel at 12 weeks. A total of 48 rabbits were used in this study. A cylindrical osteochondral defect created in the bilateral femoral trochlea was treated with DN gel (Group DN) or left without any implantation (Group C). In both Groups, we injected 1.0 mL of HA in the left knee, and 1.0 mL of saline solution in the right knee. Quantitative histological evaluations were performed at 2, 4, and 12 weeks, and PCR analysis was performed at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. In Group DN, the proteoglycan-rich area was significantly greater in the HA-injected knees than in the saline-injected knees at 12 weeks (P = 0.0247), and expression of type 2 collagen, aggrecan, and Sox9 mRNAs was significantly greater in the HA-injected knees than in the saline-injected knees at 2 weeks (P = 0.0475, P = 0.0257, P = 0.0222, respectively). The intra-articular administration of HA significantly enhanced these gene expression at 2 weeks and significantly increased the volume of the hyaline cartilage regenerated by implantation of a DN gel at 12 weeks. This information is important to develop an additional method to increase the volume of the hyaline cartilage tissue in a potential cartilage regeneration strategy using the DN gel.     

Static and dynamic mechanical properties of extracellular matrix synthesized by cultured chondrocytes

Recently, an approach to restore cartilage defects, culturing autologous chondrocytes in vitro to create a three-dimensional tissue and then implanting the cultured tissue, has been developed. In this kind of approach, it is important to study whether the extracellular matrixes synthesized by cultured chondrocytes have appropriate mechanical property. In this study, we attempted to evaluate in detail mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix synthesized by chondrocytes in vitro. Therefore, we cultured bovine chondrocytes in agarose gel and assessed the changes in not only static but also dynamic mechanical properties during long-term culture. In addition, to assess the mechanical property of the extracellular matrix synthesized by chondrocytes only, we calculated the volume ratio of the extracellular matrix in agarose gel from the cross section and estimated the static Young's modulus of the extracellular matrix synthesized by cultured chondrocytes based on the Rule of Mixture. As a result, both the equilibrium aggregate modulus and dynamic Young's modulus of chondrocyte/agarose disks increased with time. The value of calculated modulus was larger than that of the pericellular matrix of cartilage explant. In conclusion, the biomechanical property of chondrocyte/agarose constructs and the matrix synthesized by chondrocytes were assessed in detail.     

A silk fibroin/chitosan scaffold in combination with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells to repair cartilage defects in the rabbit knee

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were seeded in a three-dimensional scaffold of silk fibroin (SF) and chitosan (CS) to repair cartilage defects in the rabbit knee. Totally 54 rabbits were randomly assigned to BMSCs + SF/CS scaffold, SF/CS scaffold and control groups. A cylindrical defect was created at the patellofemoral facet of the right knee of each rabbit and repaired by scaffold respectively. Samples were prepared at 4, 8 and 12 weeks post-surgery for gross observation, hematoxylin–eosin and toluidine blue staining, type II collagen immunohistochemistry, Wakitani histology. The results showed that differentiated BMSCs proliferated well in the scaffold. In the BMSCs + SF/CS scaffold group, the bone defect was nearly repaired, the scaffold was absorbed and immunohistochemistry was positive. In the SF/CS scaffold alone group, fiber-like tissues were observed, the scaffold was nearly degraded and immunohistochemistry was weakly positive. In the control group, the defect was not well repaired and positive immunoreactions were not detected. Modified Wakitani scores were superior in the BMSCs + SF/CS scaffold group compared with those in other groups at 4, 8 and 12 weeks (P < 0.05). A SF/CS scaffold can serve as carrier for stem cells to repair cartilage defects and may be used for cartilage tissue engineering.     

A cartilage tissue engineering approach combining starch-polycaprolactone fibre mesh scaffolds with bovine articular chondrocytes

In the present work we originally tested the suitability of corn starch-polycaprolactone (SPCL) scaffolds for pursuing a cartilage tissue engineering approach. Bovine articular chondrocytes were seeded on SPCL scaffolds under dynamic conditions using spinner flasks (total of 4 scaffolds per spinner flask using cell suspensions of 0.5 × 10⁶ cells/ml) and cultured under orbital agitation for a total of 6 weeks. Poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) non-woven scaffolds and bovine native articular cartilage were used as standard controls for the conducted experiments. PGA is a kind of standard in tissue engineering approaches and it was used as a control in that sense. The tissue engineered constructs were characterized at different time periods by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and toluidine blue stainings, immunolocalisation of collagen types I and II, and dimethylmethylene blue (DMB) assay for glycosaminoglycans (GAG) quantification assay. SEM results for SPCL constructs showed that the chondrocytes presented normal morphological features, with extensive cells presence at the surface of the support structures, and penetrating the scaffolds pores. These observations were further corroborated by H&E staining. Toluidine blue and immunohistochemistry exhibited extracellular matrix deposition throughout the 3D structure. Glycosaminoglycans, and collagen types I and II were detected. However, stronger staining for collagen type II was observed when compared to collagen type I. The PGA constructs presented similar features to SPCL at the end of the 6 weeks. PGA constructs exhibited higher amounts of matrix glycosaminoglycans when compared to the SPCL scaffolds. However, we also observed a lack of tissue in the central area of the PGA scaffolds. Reasons for these occurrences may include inefficient cells penetration, necrosis due to high cell densities, or necrosis related with acidic by-products degradation. Such situation was not detected in the SPCL scaffolds, indicating the much better biocompatibility of the starch based scaffolds.     

A study of crystalline biomaterials for articular cartilage bioengineering

This study examines the suitability of marine origin coral species, Porites lutea (POR) and the hydrozoan Millepora dichotoma (MIL), for use as novel three dimensional growth matrices in the field of articular cartilage tissue engineering. Therefore, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and chondrocytes were grown on the skeletal material obtained from each of these two organisms to investigate their potential use as three dimensional scaffolding for cartilage tissue growth. Chondrogenic induction of MSCs was achieved by addition of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I). Cell adherence, proliferation, differentiation and tissue development were investigated through six weeks of culture. Cartilage tissue growth and chondrocytic phenotype maintenance of each cell type were examined by cell morphology, histochemical analyses, expression of collagen type II and quantitative measures of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content. The MSCs and the chondrocytes were shown good adherence to the scaffolds and maintenance of the chondrocytic phenotype in the initial stages of culture. However after two weeks of culture on MIL and three weeks on POR these cultures began to exhibit signs of further differentiation and phenotypic loss. The shown results indicated that POR was a better substrate for chondrocytes phenotype maintenance than MIL. We believe that surface modification of POR combined with mechanical stimuli will provide a suitable environment for chondrogenic phenotype maintenance. Further investigation of POR and other novel coralline biomatrices is indicated and warranted in the field of cartilage tissue engineering applications.     

Nanosized fibers' effect on adult human articular chondrocytes behavior

Tissue engineering with chondrogenic cell based therapies is an expanding field with the intention of treating cartilage defects. It has been suggested that scaffolds used in cartilage tissue engineering influence cellular behavior and thus the long-term clinical outcome. The objective of this study was to assess whether chondrocyte attachment, proliferation and post-expansion re-differentiation could be influenced by the size of the fibers presented to the cells in a scaffold. Polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds with different fiber morphologies were produced, i.e. microfiber (MS) scaffolds as well as nanofiber-coated microfiber scaffold (NMS). Adult human articular chondrocytes were cultured in the scaffolds in vitro up to 28 days, and the resulting constructs were assessed histologically, immunohistochemically, and biochemically. Attachment of cells and serum proteins to the scaffolds was affected by the architecture. The results point toward nano-patterning onto the microfibers influencing proliferation of the chondrocytes, and the overall 3D environment having a greater influence on the re-differentiation. In the efforts of finding the optimal scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering, studies as the current contribute to the knowledge of how to affect and control chondrocytes behavior.     

Engineered synovial joint condyle using demineralized bone matrix

In an effort to develop tissue-engineered bio-joints, a novel demineralized joint scaffold was achieved by peeling off the cartilage layer of a distal femur joint condyle. Primary chondrocytes were then seeded onto the demineralized joint condyle scaffolds and cultured in vitro for 6 weeks. Histological staining and biochemical assays of the engineered joints showed that after 6 weeks in vitro culture, a cartilaginous layer had formed on the demineralized joint scaffold that was similar to native synovial articular cartilage with respect to palpation and texture. Meanwhile, the engineered joint condyle cartilage demonstrated rudimentary morphological and structural resemblance to native cartilage. Intense and uniform safranin-O red staining was found in engineered joint condyle cartilage. Furthermore, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) assays confirmed that there were no statistical differences in the GAG/DNA ratio between the engineered joint cartilage and native cartilage (p > 0.05). In conclusion, a novel scaffold and a practical method have therefore been developed for total joint tissue engineering based on demineralized bone scaffold. The morphological appearance of the engineered joint and the rudimentary biochemical quantification resemble that of a native articular condyle.     

Long term results after implantation of tissue engineered cartilage for the treatment of osteochondral lesions in a minipig model

In present study we determined the long term in vivo integration and histological modeling of an in vitro engineered cartilage construct. Tissue engineered autologous cartilagenous tissue was cultured on calcium phosphate cylinders and implanted into osteochondral defects into the femoral condyles in minipigs. Radiological follow-up was performed at 2, 8, 26 and 52 weeks, condyles were harvested 26 and 52 weeks post-implantation. Thickness of cultivated tissue (1.10 ± 0.55 mm) was comparable to in situ cartilage and cells produced in vitro cartilage specific proteins. In vivo, 26 and 52 weeks post-implantation defects were resurfaced with hyaline-like tissue, the implants were well integrated with no gap at the interface between the engineered neocartilage and the adjacent articular cartilage. Synthesis of type II collagen was detected 26 and 52 weeks after implantation. The modified ICRS score increased from 26 to 52 weeks. Histomorphometric evaluation revealed a decrease in cellularity in tissue engineered cartilage from 2.2-fold of native cartilage after 26 weeks to 1.5-fold after 52 weeks. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate the integration and maturation of tissue engineered cartilage pellets attached on a bone substitute carrier implanted in osteochondral defects over a long time. J. P. Petersen, P. Ueblacker, C. Goepfert have contributed equally to this study.     

Fabrication and development of artificial osteochondral constructs based on cancellous bone/hydrogel hybrid scaffold

Using tissue engineering techniques, an artificial osteochondral construct was successfully fabricated to treat large osteochondral defects. In this study, porcine cancellous bones and chitosan/gelatin hydrogel scaffolds were used as substitutes to mimic bone and cartilage, respectively. The porosity and distribution of pore size in porcine bone was measured and the degradation ratio and swelling ratio for chitosan/gelatin hydrogel scaffolds was also determined in vitro. Surface morphology was analyzed with the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The physicochemical properties and the composition were tested by using an infrared instrument. A double layer composite scaffold was constructed via seeding adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) induced to chondrocytes and osteoblasts, followed by inoculation in cancellous bones and hydrogel scaffolds. Cell proliferation was assessed through Dead/Live staining and cellular activity was analyzed with IpWin5 software. Cell growth, adhesion and formation of extracellular matrix in composite scaffolds blank cancellous bones or hydrogel scaffolds were also analyzed. SEM analysis revealed a super porous internal structure of cancellous bone scaffolds and pore size was measured at an average of 410 ± 59 μm while porosity was recorded at 70.6 ± 1.7 %. In the hydrogel scaffold, the average pore size was measured at 117 ± 21 μm and the porosity and swelling rate were recorded at 83.4 ± 0.8 % and 362.0 ± 2.4 %, respectively. Furthermore, the remaining hydrogel weighed 80.76 ± 1.6 % of the original dry weight after hydration in PBS for 6 weeks. In summary, the cancellous bone and hydrogel composite scaffold is a promising biomaterial which shows an essential physical performance and strength with excellent osteochondral tissue interaction in situ. ADSCs are a suitable cell source for osteochondral composite reconstruction. Moreover, the bi-layered scaffold significantly enhanced cell proliferation compared to the cells seeded on either single scaffold. Therefore, a bi-layered composite scaffold is an appropriate candidate for fabrication of osteochondral tissue.     

Behavior of tissue-engineered human cartilage after transplantation into nude mice

Cartilage lacks the ability to regenerate structural defects. Therefore, autologous grafting has been used routinely to replace cartilaginous lesions. Because tissue engineering of human cartilage with the help of bioresorbable polymer scaffolds is possible in experimental models, the demand for the clinical application grows. In this study we present an analysis of the behavior of transplants made of human chondrocyte pools, agarose and the resorbable polymer scaffold Ethisorb and a preliminary comparison with transplants made of single patients' cells and Ethisorb but without the additional ingredient agarose. Chondrocytes were isolated from the matrix of human septal cartilage by enzymatic digestion. The pool cells were kept in monolayer culture for 2 weeks, the single patients' cells for 3–4 weeks. Chondrocyte pools were suspended in agarose and seeded into the resorbable polymer scaffold Ethisorb. Single patients' cells were seeded without agarose. All cell–polymer constructs were kept in perfusion culture for 10–14 days and transplanted subcutaneously into thymusaplastic nude mice. Additionally we implanted Ethisorb fleeces embedded in agarose without chondrocytes. After 6, 12 and 24 weeks the animals were sacrificed and the specimens were explanted and analyzed histochemically and immunohistochemically. Polymer scaffolds not seeded with chondrocytes did not show cartilage formation. Resorption was complete after 12 weeks in vivo. Transplants from cell pools remained mechanically stable over 24 weeks apart from four transplants that were resorbed completely. Cartilage formation was observed in all pool-specimens with the presence of chondronic structures and a homogeneous matrix containing hyaline cartilage-specific matrix molecules such as collagen type II. Single patients' transplants showed hyaline cartilage matrix synthesis and mechanical stability as well. Chondrocyte pools are a suitable method to study cartilage engineering of human cells in vitro and in vivo in experimental models. Under clinical conditions it is, however, necessary to study the generation of cartilage from single patients' cells. We showed that it is possible without additional ingredients such as agarose. However, variations in the preliminary results show that the clinical application with human cells is more difficult than one would expect when using human chondrocyte pools. Further studies need to be performed to find out which individual factors influence the in vitro engineered cartilage's fate in vivo. © 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers     

The regeneration of articular cartilage using a new polymer system

A polymer system based on room temperature polymerising poly (ethylmethacrylate) polymer powder and tetrahydrofurfuryl monomer has been investigated as a biomaterial for encouraging articular cartilage repair. This heterocyclic methacrylate polymer system swells slightly in situ and thus provides a good interface with subchondral bone resulting in mechanical stability with favourable uptake kinetics. Another feature of this polymer system is that it exhibits high water uptake which leads to absorption of the surrounding tissue fluid and matrix proteins, including growth factors; this may encourage the formation of new cartilage. Three weeks after implantation the tissue overgrowth contained cartilage components: chondrocytes, collagen type II, chondroitin 4-sulphate and chondroitin 6-sulphate. In addition numerous chondrocyte clones were observed at the edge of the defect and in the newly repaired tissue. By six weeks a superficial articulating surface was continuous with the normal articular cartilage with underlying tissue which showed some evidence of endochondral ossification. By nine weeks the surface covering of new cartilage had a widened and an irregular zone of calcified cartilage with thickened subchondral bone was present. At eight months the resurfaced cartilage remained intact above a remodelled subchondral bone end plate.     

Novel chitosan hydrogel formed by ethylene glycol chitosan, 1,6-diisocyanatohexan and polyethylene glycol-400 for tissue engineering scaffold: in vitro and in vivo evaluation

Traditional chitosan hydrogels were prepared by chemical or physical crosslinker, and both of the two kinds of hydrogels have their merits and demerits. In this study, researchers attempted to prepare one kind of chitosan hydrogel by slightly crosslinker, which could combine the advantages of the two kinds of hydrogels. In this experiment, the crosslinker was formed by a reaction between the isocyanate group of 1,6-diisocyanatohexan and the hydroxyl group of polyethylene glycol-400 (PEG-400), then the crosslinker reacted with the amidine and the hydroxyl group of ethylene glycol chitosan to form the network structure. Physical properties of the hydrogel were tested by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and biodegradation. Biocompatibility was assessed by cell implantation in vitro and the scaffold was used as a cartilage tissue engineering scaffold to repair a defect in rabbit knee joints in vivo. FTIR results show the formation of a covalent bond during thickening of the ethylene glycol chitosan. SEM and degradation experiments showed that the ethylene glycol chitosan hydrogel is a 3-D, porous, and degradable scaffold. The hydrogel contained 2 % ethylene glycol chitosan and 10 μl crosslinker was selected for the biocompatibility experiment in vitro and in vivo. After chondrocytes were cultured in the ethylene glycol chitosan hydrogel scaffold for 1 week cells exhibited clustered growth and had generated extracellular matrix on the scaffold in vitro. The results in vivo showed that hydrogel-chondrocytes promoted the repair of defect in rabbits. Based on these results, it could be concluded that ethylene glycol chitosan hydrogel is a scaffold with excellent physicochemical properties and it is a promising tissue engineering scaffold.     

Stress-relaxation models of nano-HA/PVA gel biocomposites

Nanohydroxyapatite reinforced poly (vinyl alcohol) (nano-HA/PVA) gel composites have been proposed as a promising biomaterial to replace diseased or damaged articular cartilage. In this paper, the logarithmic model and multimode Maxwell model were used to describe the stress-relaxation process of nano-HA/PVA gel bio-composites, respectively. The results showed that both models can precisely describe the stress-relaxation behavior of nano-HA/PVA gel composites and their maximum absolute errors are not in excess of 6 %. However, the logarithmic model is only an empirical model and lacks definite physical meaning. It is very difficult to distinguish each relaxation stage of the composites such as the rapid and slow relaxation stage for the logarithmic model. To the contrary, every element in the multimode Maxwell model possesses definite physical meaning and it is corresponding to a certain stress-relaxation mechanism. It cannot only accurately depict the stress-relaxation properties of nanohydroxyapatite reinforced poly (vinyl alcohol) gel composites but also can reveal the relaxation mechanism of the composites. The investigation on the mechanism showed that the stress-relaxation mechanism of the composites was mainly predominated by the synergistic effect of two mechanisms which were the stress-relaxation characteristics of nature articular cartilage and that of the polymer.     

Human-like collagen/nano-hydroxyapatite scaffolds for the culture of chondrocytes

Three dimensional (3D) biodegradable porous scaffolds play a key role in cartilage tissue repair. Freeze-drying and cross-linking techniques were used to fabricate a 3D composite scaffold that combined the excellent biological characteristics of human-like collagen (HLC) and the outstanding mechanical properties of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA). The scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and compression tests, using Relive® Artificial Bone (RAB) scaffolds as a control. HLC/nHA scaffolds displayed homogeneous interconnected macroporous structure and could withstand a compression stress of 2.67 ± 0.37 MPa, which was higher than that of the control group. Rabbit chondrocytes were seeded on the composite porous scaffolds and cultured for 21 days. Cell/scaffold constructs were examined using SEM, histological procedures, and biochemical assays for cell proliferation and the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). The results indicated that HLC/nHA porous scaffolds were capable of encouraging cell adhesion, homogeneous distribution and abundant GAG synthesis, and maintaining natural chondrocyte morphology compared to RAB scaffolds. In conclusion, the presented data warrants the further exploration of HLC/nHA scaffolds as a potential biomimetic platform for chondrocytes in cartilage tissue engineering.     

Matrix generation within a macroporous non-degradable implant for osteochondral defects is not enhanced with partial enzymatic digestion of the surrounding tissue: evaluation in an in vivo rabbit model

Articular cartilage defects are a significant source of pain, have limited ability to heal, and can lead to the development of osteoarthritis. However, a surgical solution is not available. To tackle this clinical problem, non-degradable implants capable of carrying mechanical load immediately after implantation and for the duration of implantation, while integrating with the host tissue, may be viable option. But integration between articular cartilage and non-degradable implants is not well studied. Our objective was to assess the in vivo performance of a novel macroporous, nondegradable, polyvinyl alcohol construct. We hypothesized that matrix generation within the implant would be enhanced with partial digestion of the edges of articular cartilage. Our hypothesis was tested by randomizing an osteochondral defect created in the trochlea of 14 New Zealand white rabbits to treatment with: (i) collagenase or (ii) saline, prior to insertion of the implant. At 1 and 3-month post-operatively, the gross morphology and histologic appearance of the implants and the surrounding tissue were assessed. At 3 months, the mechanical properties of the implant were also quantified. Overall, the hydrogel implants performed favorably; at all time-points and in all groups the implants remained well fixed, did not cause inflammation or synovitis, and did not cause extensive damage to the opposing articular cartilage. Regardless of treatment with saline or collagenase, at 1 month post-operatively implants from both groups had a contiguous interface with adjacent cartilage and were populated with chondrocyte-like cells. At 3 months fibrous encapsulation of all implants was evident, there was no difference between area of aggrecan staining in the collagenase versus saline groups, and implant modulus was similar in both groups; leading us to reject our hypothesis. In summary, a porous PVA osteochondral implant remained well fixed in a short term in vivo osteochondral defect model; however, matrix generation within the implant was not enhanced with partial digestion of adjacent articular cartilage.     

Effects of chondrogenic and osteogenic regulatory factors on composite constructs grown using human mesenchymal stem cells, silk scaffolds and bioreactors.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) isolated from bone marrow aspirates were cultured on silk scaffolds in rotating bioreactors for three weeks with either chondrogenic or osteogenic medium supplements to engineer cartilage- or bone-like tissue constructs. Osteochondral composites formed from these cartilage and bone constructs were cultured for an additional three weeks in culture medium that was supplemented with chondrogenic factors, supplemented with osteogenic factors or unsupplemented. Progression of cartilage and bone formation and the integration between the two regions were assessed by medical imaging (magnetic resonance imaging and micro-computerized tomography imaging), and by biochemical, histological and mechanical assays. During composite culture (three to six weeks), bone-like tissue formation progressed in all three media to a markedly larger extent than cartilage-like tissue formation. The integration of the constructs was most enhanced in composites cultured in chondrogenic medium. The results suggest that tissue composites with well-mineralized regions and substantially less developed cartilage regions can be generated in vitro by culturing hMSCs on silk scaffolds in bioreactors, that hMSCs have markedly higher capacity for producing engineered bone than engineered cartilage, and that chondrogenic factors play major roles at early stages of bone formation by hMSCs and in the integration of the two tissue constructs into a tissue composite.     

Gelatin/chitosan/hyaluronan ternary complex scaffold containing basic fibroblast growth factor for cartilage tissue engineering

Gelatin, chitosan and hyaluronan with a weight ratio of 82.6%, 16.5% and 0.1% were chosen as a scaffold material to mimic the composition of natural cartilage matrix for cartilage tissue engineering. Water soluble carbodiimide was added into the biomacromolecule solution with a concentration of 5% to crosslink the complex. Following a freeze-drying procedure, a porous scaffold (control) was then prepared. To enhance chondrogenesis, heparin was covalently immobilized onto the scaffold by carbodiimide chemistry, through which basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was further incorporated by a bioaffinity force. Incubation in phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) at 37 °C caused the weight loss of all kinds of the scaffolds, which could be brought by both the degradation and dissolution of the biomacromolecules. Compared with the control, however, the heparinized scaffold showed stronger ability to resist the weight loss, implying that a higher crosslinking degree was achieved by incorporation of the heparin. Rabbit auricular chondrocytes were seeded onto the ternary complex scaffold containing bFGF to assess cell response. Chondrocytes could adhere and proliferate in all kinds of the scaffold, regardless of the existence of bFGF. No significant difference on glycosaminoglycan (GAG) secretion was recorded between these scaffolds after cultured for 7 and 21 days too, although the absolute value from the Scaffold-heparin-bFGF was somewhat higher. However, chondrocytes seeded in the Scaffold-heparin-bFGF indeed showed significant higher viability than that on the control scaffold. These results reveal that the ternary complex scaffolds, in particular the one containing bFGF, are a potential candidate for cartilage tissue engineering.