title: RGD-peptides for tissue engineering of articular cartilage.
abstract: One keypoint in the development of a biohybrid implant for articular cartilage defects is the specific binding of cartilage cells to a supporting structure. Mimicking the physiological adhesion process of chondrocytes to the extracellular matrix is expected to improve cell adhesion of in vitro cultured chondrocytes. Our approach involves coating of synthetic scaffolds with tailor-made, cyclic RGD-peptides, which bind to specific integrin receptors on the cell surface. In this study we investigated the expression pattern of integrins on the cell surface of chondrocytes and their capability to specifically bind to RGD-peptide coated materials in the course of monolayer cultivation. Human chondrocytes expressed integrins during a cultivation period of 20 weeks. Receptors proved to be functionally active as human and pig chondrocytes attached to RGD-coated surfaces. A competition assay with soluble RGD-peptide revealed binding specificity to the RGD-entity. Chondrocyte morphology changed with increasing amounts of cyclic RGD-peptides on the surface.
authors.affiliation: Merck Biomaterial GmbH, R&D, Darmstadt, Germany. brigitte.jeschke@merck.de
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jeschke
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jonczyk
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Adamietz
authors.forename: Norbert M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Meenen
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kantlehner
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goepfert
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nies
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000166:cytology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D009842:Oligopeptides; C047981:arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid