[Construction of tissue-engineered cartilage by seeding chondrocytes on allogeneic cancellous bone matrix gelatin].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the use of cancellous bone matrix gelatin (BMG) combined with chondrocytes in constructing tissue-engineered cartilage by observing the growth, proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes on allogeneic cancellous BMG.


METHODS
The articular chondrocytes isolated from a 1-month-old rabbit were multiplied to a monolayer and seeded onto cancellous BMG to construct tissue-engineered cartilage in vitro during a period of 6 weeks. Samples were taken from the construct after 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks of culture and evaluated by histology, immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).


RESULTS
The chondrocytes excreted matrix proteoglycan and collagen on cancellous BMG. With the prolongation of the culture time, the cells proliferated in the construct and the cells in the lacunae increased. Numerous chondrocytes were present the central region of the cancellous BMG and surrounded by extracellular matrix. By 6 weeks of culture, the BMG was covered with 15-20 layers of chondrocytes and cartilaginous tissue occurred in the pores throughout the cancellous BMG. Immunohistochemical staining showed rich and evenly distributed type II collagen around the chondrocytes, and TEM revealed an ultrastructure of the chondrocyte similar to that of native chondroctyes, with abundant extracellular matrix produced around the cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Tissue-engineered cartilage can be constructed in vitro using allogeneic cancellous BMG combined with chondrocytes. Allogeneic cancellous BMG serves as a good scaffold material for tissue-engineered cartilage to promote the growth and proliferation of the seeded chondrocytes and allows maintenance of the differentiation phenotype of the cells.
Yang
Bo
B
Physiotherapy Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi'an 710061, China. ybb0331@gmail.com
Cao
Jun-Ling
JL
Zhang
An
A
Zhang
Zeng-Tie
ZT
Chen
Jing-Hong
JH
Song
Hong-Xing
HX
D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000818:Animals; D001857:Bone Matrix / Q000737:chemistry*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D005780:Gelatin / Q000737:chemistry*; D011817:Rabbits; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
D005780:Gelatin