PLLA–collagen and PLLA–gelatin hybrid scaffolds with funnel-like porous structure for skin tissue engineering

Abstract

In skin tissue engineering, a three-dimensional porous scaffold is necessary to support cell adhesion and proliferation and to guide cells moving into the repair area in the wound healing process. Structurally, the porous scaffold should have an open and interconnected porous architecture to facilitate homogenous cell distribution. Moreover, the scaffolds should be mechanically strong to protect deformation during the formation of new skin. In this study, the hybrid scaffolds were prepared by forming funnel-like collagen or gelatin sponge on a woven poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) mesh. The hybrid scaffolds combined the advantages of both collagen or gelatin (good cell-interactions) and PLLA mesh (high mechanical strength). The hybrid scaffolds were used to culture dermal fibroblasts for dermal tissue engineering. The funnel-like porous structure promoted homogeneous cell distribution and extracellular matrix production. The PLLA mesh reinforced the scaffold to avoid deformation. Subcutaneous implantation showed that the PLLA–collagen and PLLA–gelatin scaffolds promoted the regeneration of dermal tissue and epidermis and reduced contraction during the formation of new tissue. These results indicate that funnel-like hybrid scaffolds can be used for skin tissue regeneration.     

PLLA–collagen and PLLA–gelatin hybrid scaffolds with funnel-like porous structure for skin tissue engineering

In skin tissue engineering, a three-dimensional porous scaffold is necessary to support cell adhesion and proliferation and to guide cells moving into the repair area in the wound healing process. Structurally, the porous scaffold should have an open and interconnected porous architecture to facilitate homogenous cell distribution. Moreover, the scaffolds should be mechanically strong to protect deformation during the formation of new skin. In this study, the hybrid scaffolds were prepared by forming funnel-like collagen or gelatin sponge on a woven poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) mesh. The hybrid scaffolds combined the advantages of both collagen or gelatin (good cell-interactions) and PLLA mesh (high mechanical strength). The hybrid scaffolds were used to culture dermal fibroblasts for dermal tissue engineering. The funnel-like porous structure promoted homogeneous cell distribution and extracellular matrix production. The PLLA mesh reinforced the scaffold to avoid deformation. Subcutaneous implantation showed that the PLLA–collagen and PLLA–gelatin scaffolds promoted the regeneration of dermal tissue and epidermis and reduced contraction during the formation of new tissue. These results indicate that funnel-like hybrid scaffolds can be used for skin tissue regeneration.     

Preparation and characterization of collagen/PLA,chitosan/PLA,and collagen/chitosan/PLA hybrid scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

In this study, three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds were developed for the repair of articular cartilage defects. Novel collagen/polylactide (PLA), chitosan/PLA, and collagen/chitosan/PLA hybrid scaffolds were fabricated by combining freeze-dried natural components and synthetic PLA mesh, where the 3D PLA mesh gives mechanical strength, and the natural polymers, collagen and/or chitosan, mimic the natural cartilage tissue environment of chondrocytes. In total, eight scaffold types were studied: four hybrid structures containing collagen and/or chitosan with PLA, and four parallel plain scaffolds with only collagen and/or chitosan. The potential of these types of scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering applications were determined by the analysis of the microstructure, water uptake, mechanical strength, and the viability and attachment of adult bovine chondrocytes to the scaffolds. The manufacturing method used was found to be applicable for the manufacturing of hybrid scaffolds with highly porous 3D structures. All the hybrid scaffolds showed a highly porous structure with open pores throughout the scaffold. Collagen was found to bind water inside the structure in all collagen-containing scaffolds better than the chitosan-containing scaffolds, and the plain collagen scaffolds had the highest water absorption. The stiffness of the scaffold was improved by the hybrid structure compared to plain scaffolds. The cell viability and attachment was good in all scaffolds, however, the collagen hybrid scaffolds showed the best penetration of cells into the scaffold. Our results show that from the studied scaffolds the collagen/PLA hybrids are the most promising scaffolds from this group for cartilage tissue engineering.     

Effect of solid freeform fabrication-based polycaprolactone/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/collagen scaffolds on cellular activities of human adipose-derived stem cells and rat primary hepatocytes

Highly biocompatible polycaprolactone (PCL)/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/collagen scaffolds in which the PCL/PLGA collagen solution was selectively dispensed into every other space between the struts were fabricated using solid freeform fabrication (SFF) technology, as we described previously. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the PCL/PLGA/collagen scaffolds (group 3) with PCL/PLGA-only scaffolds (group 1) and PCL/PLGA scaffolds with collagen by the dip-coating method (group 2) using human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) and rat primary hepatocytes. The selectively dispensed collagen formed a three-dimensional (3D) network of nanofibers in group 3, as observed by scanning electron microscopy. The compressive strength and modulus of group 3 were approximately 140 and 510 times higher, respectively, than those of a sponge-type collagen scaffold whose weak mechanical properties were regarded as a critical drawback. Proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of hASCs were promoted significantly in group 3 compared to groups 1 and 2. In addition, we found that the viability and albumin secretion ability of rat primary hepatocytes were highly retained for 10 days in group 3 but not group 1. Interestingly, hepatocyte aggregation, which enhances hepatic function through cell–cell interactions, was observed particularly in group 3. In conclusion, group 3, in which the collagen was selectively dispensed in the 3D space of the porous PCL/PLGA framework, will be a promising 3D scaffold for culturing various cell types.     

Porous poly (lactic-co-glycolide) microsphere sintered scaffolds for tissue repair applications

In this paper, a new route to preparing porous poly (lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds for bone tissue repair applications was developed. Novel porous PLGA scaffolds were fabricated via microsphere sintered technique and gas forming technique. Ammonium bicarbonate was used to regulate porosity of these porous scaffolds. Porosity of the scaffolds, and cell attachment, viability and proliferation on the scaffolds were evaluated. The results indicated that PLGA porous scaffolds were with the porosity from around 30% to 95% by regulating ammonium bicarbonate content from 0 to 10%. We also found that PLGA porous microsphere scaffolds benefited cell attachment and viability. Taken together, the achieved porous scaffolds have controlled porosity and also support mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, which could serve as potential scaffolds for bone repair applications.     

Fabrication and evaluation of biomimetic scaffolds by using collagen–alginate fibrillar gels for potential tissue engineering applications

Pore architecture and its stable functionality under cell culturing of three dimensional (3D) scaffolds are of great importance for tissue engineering purposes. In this study, alginate was incorporated with collagen to fabricate collagen–alginate composite scaffolds with different collagen/alginate ratios by lyophilizing the respective composite gels formed via collagen fibrillogenesis in vitro and then chemically crosslinking. The effects of alginate amount and crosslinking treatment on pore architecture, swelling behavior, enzymatic degradation and tensile property of composite scaffolds were systematically investigated. The relevant results indicated that the present strategy was simple but efficient to fabricate highly interconnected strong biomimetic 3D scaffolds with nanofibrous surface. NIH3T3 cells were used as a model cell to evaluate the cytocompatibility, attachment to the nanofibrous surface and porous architectural stability in terms of cell proliferation and infiltration within the crosslinked scaffolds. Compared with the mechanically weakest crosslinked collagen sponges, the cell-cultured composite scaffolds presented a good porous architecture, thus permitting cell proliferation on the top surface as well as infiltration into the inner part of 3D composite scaffolds. These composite scaffolds with pore size ranging from 150 to 300 μm, over 90% porosity, tuned biodegradability and water-uptake capability are promising for tissue engineering applications.     

Electrospinning of PLGA/gelatin randomly-oriented and aligned nanofibers as potential scaffold in tissue engineering

Electrospinning technique can be used to produce the three-dimensional nanofibrous scaffold similar to natural extracellular matrix, which satisfies particular requirements of tissue engineering scaffold. Randomly-oriented and aligned poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and PLGA/gelatin biocomposite scaffolds were successfully produced by electrospinning in the present study. The resulting nanofibrous scaffolds exhibited smooth surface and high porous structure. Blending PLGA with gelatin enhanced the hydrophilicity but decreased the average fiber diameter and the mechanical properties of the scaffolds under the same electrospinning condition. The cell culture results showed that the elongation of the osteoblast on the aligned nanofibrous scaffold was parallel to the fiber arrangement and the cell number was similar to that of randomly-oriented scaffold, indicating that the aligned nanofibrous scaffold provide a beneficial approach for the bone regeneration.     

Morphological,mechanical, and biocompatibility characterization of macroporous alumina scaffolds coated with calcium phosphate/PVA

In bone tissue engineering, a highly porous artificial extracellular matrix or scaffold is required to accommodate cells and guide the tissue regeneration in three-dimension. Calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics are widely used for bone substitution and repair due to their biocompatibility, bioactivity, and osteoconduction. However, compared to alumina ceramics, either in the dense or porous form, the mechanical strength achieved for calcium phosphates is generally lower. In the present work, the major goal was to develop a tri-dimensional macroporous alumina scaffold with a biocompatible PVA/calcium phosphate coating to be potentially used as bone tissue substitute. This approach aims to combine the high mechanical strength of the alumina scaffold with the biocompatibility of calcium phosphate based materials. Hence, the porous alumina scaffolds were produced by the polymer foam replication procedure. Then, these scaffolds were submitted to two different coating methods: the biomimetic and the immersion in a calcium phosphate/polyvinyl alcohol (CaP/PVA) slurry. The microstructure, morphology and crystallinity of the macroporous alumina scaffolds samples and coated with CaP/PVA were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM/EDX) analysis. Also, specific surface area was assessed by BET nitrogen adsorption method and mechanical behavior was evaluated by axial compression tests. Finally, biocompatibility and cytotoxicity were evaluated by VERO cell spreading and attachment assays under SEM. The morphological analysis obtained from SEM photomicrograph results has indicated that 3D macroporous alumina scaffolds were successfully produced, with estimated porosity of over 65% in a highly interconnected network. In addition, the mechanical test results have indicated that porous alumina scaffolds with ultimate compressive strength of over 3.0 MPa were produced. Concerning to the calcium phosphate coatings, the results have showed that the biomimetic method was not efficient on producing a detectable layer onto the alumina scaffolds. On the other hand, a uniform and adherent inorganic–organic coating was effectively formed onto alumina macroporous scaffold by the immersion of the porous structure into the CaP/PVA suspension. Viable VERO cells were verified onto the surface of alumina porous scaffold samples coated with PVA–calcium phosphate. In conclusion, a new method was developed to produce alumina with tri-dimensional porous structure and uniformly covered with a biocompatible coating of calcium phosphate/PVA. Such system has high potential to be used in bone tissue engineering.     

Experimental and computational characterization of designed and fabricated 50:50 PLGA porous scaffolds for human trabecular bone applications

The present study utilizes image-based computational methods and indirect solid freeform fabrication (SFF) technique to design and fabricate porous scaffolds, and then computationally estimates their elastic modulus and yield stress with experimental validation. 50:50 Poly (lactide-co-glycolide acid) (50:50 PLGA) porous scaffolds were designed using an image-based design technique, fabricated using indirect SFF technique, and characterized using micro-computed tomography (μ-CT) and mechanical testing. μ-CT data was further used to non-destructively predict the scaffold elastic moduli and yield stress using a voxel-based finite element (FE) method, a technique that could find application in eventual scaffold quality control. μ-CT data analysis confirmed that the fabricated scaffolds had controlled pore sizes, orthogonally interconnected pores and porosities which were identical to those of the designed files. Mechanical tests revealed that the compressive modulus and yield stresses were in the range of human trabecular bone. The results of FE analysis showed potential stress concentrations inside of the fabricated scaffold due to fabrication defects. Furthermore, the predicted moduli and yield stresses of the FE analysis showed strong correlations with those of the experiments. In the present study, we successfully fabricated scaffolds with designed architectures as well as predicted their mechanical properties in a nondestructive manner.     

The effect of cross-linking on the microstructure,mechanical properties and biocompatibility of electrospun polycaprolactone–gelatin/PLGA–gelatin/PLGA–chitosan hybrid composite

Abstract

In this study, multilayered scaffolds composed of polycaprolactone (PCL)–gelatin/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)–gelatin/PLGA–chitosan artificial blood vessels were fabricated using a double-ejection electrospinning system. The mixed fibers from individual materials were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The effects of the cross-linking process on the microstructure, mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the fibers were examined. The tensile stress and liquid strength of the cross-linked artificial blood vessels were 2.3 MPa and 340 mmHg, respectively, and were significantly higher than for the non-cross-linked vessel (2.0 MPa and 120 mmHg). The biocompatibility of the cross-linked artificial blood vessel scaffold was examined using the MTT assay and by evaluating cell attachment and cell proliferation. The cross-linked PCL–gelatin/PLGA–gelatin/PLGA–chitosan artificial blood vessel scaffold displayed excellent flexibility, was able to withstand high pressures and promoted cell growth; thus, this novel material holds great promise for eventual use in artificial blood vessels.     

Preparation and characterization of genipin-crosslinked rat acellular spinal cord scaffolds

The feasibility of rat acellular spinal cord scaffolds for tissue engineering applications was investigated. Fresh rat spinal cords were decellularized and crosslinked with genipin (GP) to improve their structural stability and mechanical properties. The GP-crosslinked spinal cord scaffolds possessed a porous structure with an average pore diameter of 31.1 μm and a porosity of 81.5%. The resultant scaffolds exhibited a water uptake ratio of 229%, and moderate in vitro degradation rates of less than 5% in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and slightly more than 20% in trypsin-containing buffer, within 14 days. The ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of GP-crosslinked spinal cord scaffolds were determined to be 0.193 ± 0.064 MPa and 1.541 ± 0.082 MPa, respectively. Compared with glutaraldehyde (GA)-crosslinked acellular spinal cord scaffolds, GP-crosslinked scaffolds demonstrated similar microstructure and mechanical properties but superior biocompatibility as indicated by cytotoxicity evaluation and rat mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) adhesion behavior. Cells were able to penetrate throughout the crosslinked scaffold due to the presence of an interconnected porous structure. The low cytotoxicity of GP facilitated cell proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion in vitro on the crosslinked scaffolds over 7 days. Thus, these GP-crosslinked spinal cord scaffolds show great promise for tissue engineering applications.     

Properties of scaffolds based on chitosan and collagen with bioglass 45S5

Scaffolds based on chitosan (CTS), collagen (Coll) and glycosaminoglycans (GAG) mixtures cross‐linked by tannic acid (TA) with bioglass 45S5 addition were obtained with the use of the freeze‐drying method. The prepared scaffolds were characterised for morphology, mechanical strength and degradation rate. Moreover, cell viability on the obtained scaffolds was measured with and without the presence of ascorbic acid and dexamethasone. The main purpose of the research was to compare the effectiveness of bioglass 45S5 influence on the physicochemical and biological properties of scaffolds. The results demonstrated that the scaffolds based on the blends of biopolymers cross‐linked by TA are stable in an aqueous environment. Scanning electron microscope images allowed the observation of a porous scaffold structure with interconnected pores. The addition of bioglass nanoparticles improved the mechanical properties and decreased the degradation rate of composite materials. The biological properties were improved for 20% tannic acid addition compared to 5%. However, the addition of bioglass 45S5 did not change to cells response significantly.Inspec keywords: biomedical materials, drying, porous materials, freezing, tissue engineering, proteins, nanofabrication, bone, scanning electron microscopy, polymers, molecular biophysics, cellular biophysics, nanoparticles, porosityOther keywords: chitosan, collagen, glycosaminoglycans, bioglass 45S5 addition, freeze‐drying method, degradation rate, ascorbic acid, dexamethasone, physicochemical properties, biological properties, porous scaffold structure, bioglass nanoparticles, mechanical properties, tannic acid addition, scanning electron microscopy     

Preparation and characterisation of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and PLGA/Bioglass® composite tubular foam scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

Polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) and PLGA/Bioglass® foams of tubular shape have been prepared with a 1 wt.% 45S5 Bioglass® content. Porous membranes with varying thickness and porosity were fabricated via a thermally induced phase separation process, from which tubes of controlled diameter and wall thickness in the range 1.5–3 mm were produced. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the structure of the tubular foams consisted of radially oriented and highly interconnected pores with two distinct pore sizes, i.e. macropores ∼100-μm average diameter and interconnected micropores of 10–50-μm diameter. Foams with Bioglass® inclusions showed similarly well-defined tubular and interconnected pore morphology. Cell culture studies using mouse fibroblasts (L929) were conducted to assess the biocompatibility of the scaffolds in vitro. L929 fibroblasts cultured in medium that was pre-conditioned by incubating with PLGA tubes containing Bioglass® had a significant reduction in cell proliferation compared with fibroblasts grown in unconditioned medium (p<0.0001).The PLGA and PLGA/Bioglass® tubular foams developed here are candidate materials for soft-tissue engineering scaffolds, holding promise for the regeneration of tissues requiring a tubular shape scaffold, such as intestine, trachea and blood vessels.     

Degradation behavior of hydrophilized PLGA scaffolds prepared by melt-molding particulate-leaching method: Comparison with control hydrophobic one

Porous PLGA/PVA scaffolds as hydrophilized PLGA scaffolds for tissue engineering applications were fabricated by a novel melt-molding particulate leaching method (non-solvent method). The prepared scaffolds exhibited highly porous and open-cellular pore structures with almost same surface and interior porosities (pore size, 200–300 μ m; porosity, about 90%). The in vitro degradation behavior of the PLGA and PLGA/PVA scaffolds was compared at 37^∘C in PBS (pH 7.4) with and without the solution change everyday to see the effect of solution pH as well as scaffold hydrophilicity on the degradation behavior. The changes in dimension, molecular weight, mechanical properties (maximum load and modulus), and morphology of the scaffolds were examined with degradation time. The degradation behavior of the PLGA and PLGA/PVA scaffolds was further investigated in vivousing a rat model (subcutaneously implantation). It was observed that both PLGA and PLGA/PVA scaffolds in decreasing pH condition (PBS no change) showed faster degradation than those in constant pH condition (PBS change everyday), owing to the enhanced intramolecular depolymerization by the increment of chain hydrophilicity caused by carboxylate groups as well as the autocatalysis of carboxylic acids accumulated in the solution by the cleavage of PLGA backbone ester bonds. The scaffolds in vivo condition also showed faster degradation than those in vitro, probably due to the aid of foreign body giant cells or enzymes. The PLGA/PVA scaffold showed slightly faster degradation than the PLGA scaffold for both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed.     

Preparation and cytocompatibility of silk fibroin/chitosan scaffolds

One challenge in soft tissue engineering is to find an applicable scaffold, not only having suitable mechanical properties, porous structures, and biodegradable properties, but also being abundant in active groups and having good biocompatibility. In this study, a three-dimensional silk fibroin/chitosan (SFCS) scaffold was successfully prepared with interconnected porous structure, excellent hydrophilicity, and proper mechanical properties. Compared with polylactic glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold, the SFCS scaffold further facilitated the growth of HepG2 cells (human hepatoma cell line). Keeping the good cytocompatibility and combining the advantages of both fibroin and chitosan, the SFCS scaffold should be a prominent candidate for soft tissue engineering, for example, liver.     

Preparation and cytocompatibility of silk fibroin / chitosan scaffolds

One challenge in soft tissue engineering is to find an applicable scaffold, not only having suitable mechanical properties, porous structures, and biodegradable properties, but also being abundant in active groups and having good biocompatibility. In this study, a three-dimensional silk fibroin/chitosan (SFCS) scaffold was successfully prepared with interconnected porous structure, excellent hydrophilicity, and proper mechanical properties. Compared with polylactic glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold, the SFCS scaffold further facilitated the growth of HepG2 cells (human hepatoma cell line). Keeping the good cytocompatibility and combining the advantages of both fibroin and chitosan, the SFCS scaffold should be a prominent candidate for soft tissue engineering, for example, liver.     

Mechanically-enhanced three-dimensional scaffold with anisotropic morphology for tendon regeneration

Tissue engineering has showed promising results in restoring diseased tendon tissue functions. Herein, a hybrid three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffold comprising an outer portion rolled from an electrohydrodynamic jet printed poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) fiber mesh, and an inner portion fabricated from uniaxial stretching of a heat-sealed PCL tube, was developed for tendon tissue engineering (TE) application. The outer portion included three layers of micrometer-scale fibrous bundles (fiber diameter: ~25 µm), with an interconnected spacing and geometric anisotropy along the scaffold length. The inner portion showed orientated micro-ridges/grooves in a parallel direction to that of the outer portion. Owning to the addition of the inner portion, the as-fabricated scaffold exhibited comparable mechanical properties to those of the human patellar tendon in terms of Young’s modulus (~227 MPa) and ultimate tensile stress (~50 MPa). Compared to the rolled electrospun fibers, human tenocytes cultured in the tendon scaffolds showed increased cellular metabolism. Furthermore, the 3D tendon scaffold resulted in up-regulated cell alignment, cell elongation and formation of collagen type I. These results demonstrated the potential of mechanically-enhanced 3D fibrous scaffold for applications in tendon TE, with desired cell alignment and functional differentiation.     

Processing and degradation behavior of porous magnesium scaffold for biomedical applications

Porous magnesium has the potential to be used as degradable bone scaffolds. In this study, porous magnesium scaffolds were fabricated through powder metallurgy route utilizing spherical naphthalene particle as porogen. Porogen was removed at 120?°C for 24?h followed by sintering at 550?°C for 2?h in argon atmosphere. Micro-computed tomography (micro CT) results indicated that scaffolds have interconnected porous structure with an equivalent pore diameter of nearly 60?µm. Compressive strength of the scaffolds was found in the range of 24?±?4.54?MPa to 184?±?9.9?MPa and decreased with increasing porogen content. In vitro degradation study in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) showed that scaffold degradation behavior was governed by its porosity content. Our results indicate that modulating the porogen content we can tailor the mechanical and degradation behavior of the Mg scaffolds to the application need.     

Electrospinning of poly (ε-caprolactone-co-lactide)/Pluronic blended scaffolds for skin tissue engineering

For skin tissue engineering, an ideal scaffold should mimic the natural extracellular matrix of the native skin. In this study, we reported a novel elastic sub-micron fiber scaffold blending poly (ε-caprolactone-co-lactide) (PLCL) and Pluronic at different ratios by electrospinning. PLCL and Pluronic were co-electrospun with the ratio of 100/0, 99/1, 95/5, 90/10, 85/15, and 75/25. These scaffolds were evaluated in terms of fiber morphology, mechanical properties, and hydrophilicity for the purpose of culturing adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). Cell attachment and proliferation on the scaffolds were also evaluated to demonstrate the potential of serving as a skin graft. The results indicated that all of the electrospun fibers possessed smooth surface textures and interconnected porous structures with the average diameter ranging from approximately 750–1140 nm. The higher tensile strength was observed in 95/5 and 90/10 PLCL/Pluronic blended membranes, while further incorporation of Pluronic almost has no effect on tensile strength. The water contact angle was 85° for scaffold with the ratio of 99/1, while 0° for 90/10, 85/15, and 75/25. In addition, the elevation of Pluronic content in composition resulted in a corresponding increase in swelling behavior. Compared with PLCL, the better cell adhesion and proliferation potential of ADSCs was exhibited on all PLCL/Pluronic blended scaffolds. ADSCs on the blended scaffolds were highly elongated and well integrated with the surrounding fibers, indicating the good cytocompatibility of PLCL/Pluronic scaffolds. Thus, these blended scaffolds have the potentially high application prospect in the field of skin tissue engineering.     

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.