In vivo response of polylactic acid-alginate scaffolds and bone marrow-derived cells for cartilage tissue engineering.
Successful application of tissue-engineering techniques to damaged biological structures is determined by functional performance in vivo. This study evaluated the in vivo response of a tissue-engineered construct composed of a polylactic acid-alginate amalgam seeded with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and stimulated in vitro with transforming growth factor beta for cartilage tissue engineering. Constructs were placed in cylindrical osteochondral defects in the canine femoral condyle and examined 6 weeks postoperatively by gross, histological, immunohistochemical, and biomechanical analyses. In the course of 6 weeks in vivo, the defects filled with a cartilaginous tissue regardless of whether cell-seeded (experimental) or cell-free (control) constructs were implanted; however, the quality of the tissue differed between the experimental and control defects. Cell-seeded experimental defects showed more cartilage-like matrix quality, cell distribution, and proteoglycan staining. Biomechanically, experimental and control specimens exhibited similar behavior; however, both tissues were still immature compared with normal cartilage. The evidence accumulated in this study showed a modest acceleration of the in vivo healing of cell-seeded constructs but also demonstrated a reparative response of cell-free constructs. This finding suggests that the constructs prepared from the PLA-alginate amalgam may serve as a means for host cell attachment.
Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298, USA. jswayne@vcu.edu
Jennifer S
JS
Wayne
Charles L
CL
McDowell
Kelly J
KJ
Shields
Rocky S
RS
Tuan
D000464:Alginates; D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002356:Cartilage; D004285:Dogs; D005270:Femur Head / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019344:Lactic Acid; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D013997:Time Factors; D023822:Tissue Engineering
D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D019344:Lactic Acid; C033616:poly(lactide); D020723:Glucuronic Acid