Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seeded on specific carrier materials are a promising source for the repair of traumatic cartilage injuries. The best supportive carrier material has not yet been determined. As natural components of cartilage’s extracellular matrix, hyaluronic acid and collagen are the focus of biomaterial research. In order to optimize chondrogenic support, we investigated three different scaffold compositions of a hyaluronic acid (HA)-gelatin based biomaterial. Methods: Human MSCs (hMSCs) were seeded under vacuum on composite scaffolds of three different HA-gelatin ratios and cultured in chondrogenic medium for 21 days. Cell-scaffold constructs were assessed at different time points for cell viability, gene expression patterns, production of cartilage-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) and for (immuno-)histological appearance. The intrinsic transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) uptake of empty scaffolds was evaluated by determination of the TGF-beta concentrations in the medium over time. Results: No significant differences were found for cell seeding densities and cell viability. hMSCs seeded on scaffolds with higher ratios of HA showed better cartilage-like differentiation in all evaluated parameters. TGF-beta uptake did not differ between empty scaffolds. Conclusion: Higher ratios of HA support the chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs seeded on a HA-gelatin composite scaffold.
Highlights
Treatment techniques for acute cartilage injuries range from debridement to microfracture to autologous cartilage transplantation
The choice of treatment is lesion-dependent, and it has been shown that larger lesions (>3.0 cm2 ) benefit from autologous cartilage implantation (ACI) especially in the long term [1,2], while smaller lesions can be treated by bone marrow stimulation techniques such as microfracture [3]
The aim of the present study is to investigate the potential of composite scaffolds with three different hyaluronic acid (HA)/gelatin ratios to support chondrogenic differentiation of human Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in order to improve the scaffold composition
Summary
Treatment techniques for acute cartilage injuries range from debridement to microfracture to autologous cartilage transplantation. As the introduction of ACI [4] was a major step towards regenerative treatment of large chondral defects, it revealed potential complications, such as hypertrophy of the periosteum, which is used to cover the injected autologous chondrocytes [5]. To overcome these problems, scaffolds have been developed to serve as a carrier for the autologous chondrocytes after in vitro expansion. There are still several disadvantages of the MACI therapy
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