Tissue engineering-based cartilage repair with allogenous chondrocytes and gelatin-chondroitin-hyaluronan tri-copolymer scaffold: a porcine model assessed at 18, 24, and 36 weeks.
We previously showed that cartilage tissue can be engineered in vitro with porcine chondrocytes and gelatin/chondoitin-6-sulfate/hyaluronan tri-copolymer which mimic natural cartilage matrix for use as a scaffold. In this animal study, 15 miniature pigs were used in a randomized control study to compare tissue engineering with allogenous chondrocytes, autogenous osteochondral (OC) transplantation, and spontaneous repair for OC articular defects. In another study, 6 pigs were used as external controls in which full thickness (FT) and OC defects were either allowed to heal spontaneously or were filled with scaffold alone. After exclusion of cases with infection and secondary arthritis, the best results were obtained with autogenous OC transplantation, except that integration into host cartilage was poor. The results for the tissue engineering-treated group were satisfactory, the repair tissue being hyaline cartilage and/or fibrocartilage. Spontaneous healing and filling with scaffold alone did not result in good repair. With OC defects, the subchondral bone plate was not restored by cartilage tissue engineering. These results show that tri-copolymer can be used in in vivo cartilage tissue engineering for the treatment of FT articular defects.
Chang
Chih-Hung
CH
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan, ROC.
Kuo
Tzong-Fu
TF
Lin
Chien-Cheng
CC
Chou
Cheng-Hung
CH
Chen
Kuang-Ho
KH
Lin
Feng-Huei
FH
Liu
Hwa-Chang
HC
D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000637:transplantation*; D002807:Chondroitin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010007:Osteochondritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D012038:Regeneration; D034421:Sus scrofa; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D002807:Chondroitin