A novel autologous plasma based viscosupplementation

Abstract

Purpose: Combined long acting viscosupplement and autologous cartilage promoting factors for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Methods: RegenoGel-SP is a novel elastomer made of fibrinogen enriched plasma chemically linked to high molecular weight Hyaluronic acid (HA). Plasma fibrinogen-HA conjugate solution polymerized by CaCl2 was seeded with primary human articular chondrocytes. Cell viability and potency in the 3D constructs were evaluated using Alamar blue, DMMB for sulphated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) and quantitative rtPCR for chondro-specific markers. Results: In the last OARSI meeting we presented a novel Fibrin-HA conjugate as a long acting viscosupplement and as a carrier for the disease modifying agent FGF18 or its FGF receptor selective variants. To further enhance the biological properties of the hydrogel, a similar chemical approach was implemented using whole human plasma conjugated to high molecular weight Hyaluronic acid. This self plasma based hydrogel designated Regenogel-SP demonstrated remarkable physical endurance and biocompatibility to diverse primary cell types. Specifically, Regenogel-SP demonstrated superior capacity to support cell proliferation, viability and differentiation of human articular chondrocytes from both normal and OA cartilage. Conclusions: We have previously reported on the regenerative and cell supportive activity of Fibrin-HA compositions combined with FGF18 variants. The newly developed Regenogel-SP provides a novel and safe approach for delivering autologous plasma rich constituents in a stable, long acting, viscous support for cartilage preservation and repair in OA.