Abstract
Articular cartilage defects, and subsequent degeneration, are prevalent and account for the poor quality of life of most elderly persons; they are also one of the main predisposing factors to osteoarthritis. Articular cartilage is an avascular tissue and, thus, has limited capacity for healing and self-repair. Damage to the articular cartilage by trauma or pathological causes is irreversible. Many approaches to repair cartilage have been attempted with some potential; however, there is no consensus on any ideal therapy. Tissue engineering holds promise as an approach to regenerate damaged cartilage. Since cell adhesion is a critical step in tissue engineering, providing a 3D microenvironment that recapitulates the cartilage tissue is vital to inducing cartilage regeneration. Decellularized materials have emerged as promising scaffolds for tissue engineering, since this procedure produces scaffolds from native tissues that possess structural and chemical natures that are mimetic of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the native tissue. In this work, we present, for the first time, a study of decellularized scaffolds, produced from avian articular cartilage (extracted from Gallus Gallus domesticus), reseeded with human chondrocytes, and we demonstrate for the first time that human chondrocytes survived, proliferated and interacted with the scaffolds. Morphological studies of the decellularized scaffolds revealed an interconnected, porous architecture, ideal for cell growth. Mechanical characterization showed that the decellularized scaffolds registered stiffness comparable to the native cartilage tissues. Cell growth inhibition and immunocytochemical analyses showed that the decellularized scaffolds are suitable for cartilage regeneration.
Highlights
The treatment of damaged cartilage is a big challenge due to the poor regenerative capacity of the dense avascular tissue
The decellularization process was employed to reduce the immunogenic components of the cartilage tissue by eliminating the cellular elements such as proteins, nucleic acid, and lipids while maintaining the mechanical and bioactive properties of the cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM)
Via immunohistochemical images, as well as by scanning electron microscopic images, that these scaffolds possess key features, such as a high degree of porosity and interconnectivity, allowing for reseeded chondrocytes to attach to, infiltrate and colonize the scaffolds
Summary
The treatment of damaged cartilage is a big challenge due to the poor regenerative capacity of the dense avascular tissue. The employment of stem cell therapy has become popular among clinicians in efforts to regenerate cartilage [2,4–6]; the most popular practice has been the micro-fracture procedure, which recruits cells into the dense cartilage to initiate cartilage formation and regeneration [7]. All these procedures have their drawbacks [8]. Aggrecan, decorin, fibronectin, laminin, lipids, biglycan, hydroxyapatite and fibromodulin, which make up the fraction of the dry weight [15–17] This tissue has a low cell count to area ratio, and its avascular character usually leads to inadequate self-repair and regenerative abilities after cartilage damage [18]
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