[Fabrication and properties of a composite chitosan/type II collagen scaffold for tissue engineering cartilage].
OBJECTIVE
To develop a novel porous three-dimensional scaffold and to investigate its physico-chemical properties for tissue engineering cartilage.


METHODS
Refined 88% deacetylation degree chitosan was prepared and dissolved in 0.2 mol/L acetate acid and fully mixed with highly purified porcine type II collagen in 0.5 mol/L acetate acid solution in a ratio of 4 to 1 (wt/wt). Freeze-drying process was employed to fabricate the composite scaffold. The construct was cross-linked by use of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). A mechanical tester was utilized to determine the tensile strength change before and after cross-linking. The microstructure was observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The lysozyme degradation was performed to evaluate the degradability of the scaffold in vitro.


RESULTS
A bulk scaffold with desired configuration was obtained. The mechanical test showed that the cross-linking treatment could enhance the mechanical strength of the scaffold. The SEM results revealed that the two constituents evenly distributed in the scaffold and that the matrix was porous, sponge-like with interconnected pore sizing 100-250 microm. In vitro lysozyme degradation indicated that cross-linked or uncross-linked composite scaffolds had faster degradation rate than the chitosan matrix.


CONCLUSIONS
Chitosan and type II collagen can be developed into a porous three-dimensional scaffold. The related physico-chemical tests suggest that the composite scaffold meets requirements for tissue engineered scaffold and may serve as an alternative cell-carrier for tissue engineering cartilage.
Shi
Dehai
D
Department of Orthopedics Surgery, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou Guangdong, 510630, PR China.
Cai
Daozhang
D
Zhou
Changren
C
D002356:Cartilage / Q000166:cytology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D048271:Chitosan / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
D024043:Collagen Type II; D048271:Chitosan