The construction of engineered cartilage by co-culture of chondrocytes and bone mesenchymal stem cells in vitro

Abstract

Objective To explore the effects of co-culture of chondrocytes and bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on constructing engineered cartilages, and confirm the most suitable ratio of chondrocytes to BMSCs. Methods Chondrocytes and BMSCs were isolated from articulars cartilages of rabbit (1 month old)cells (40 μl 4×107/ml) were seeded into a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffold and cultured statically for 2 days. They were transferred into the cyclic pressures system, and cultured under cyclic pressures for 3 weeks. The engineered cartilages were harvested and examined by gross observation, histological staining, immunohistochemisty of collagen Ⅱ, the content of glyeosaminoglycans, GAGs, DNA and the percentage of collagen Ⅱ dyeing area. Results The engineered cartilages of the co-cultured groups grew bigger than those of the chondrocytes alone group, and their surfaces were smooth and glossy. The distributions of cartilaginous extracellular matrices in the co-cultured groups were more homogenous than those of the chondrocytes alone group.gen Ⅱ dyeing area of the co-cultured groups were higher than those of the chondrocytes alone group. The conConclusion Co-culture of chondrocytes and BMSCs could improve the quality of engineered cartilages. The Key words: Chondrocytes; Mesenchymal stem cells; Bone marrow cells; Tissue engineering