title: A growth factor delivery system for chondrogenic induction of infrapatellar fat pad-derived stem cells in fibrin hydrogels.
abstract: Articular cartilage has a limited capacity for self-renewal and repair. Tissue engineering of cartilage in vitro has been proposed as a solution to this problem; however, this approach is costly and requires a significant amount of time to grow the graft. An alternative approach is to implant chondroprogenitor cells seeded within a growth factor delivery scaffold directly into the defect site to promote tissue regeneration. The objective of this study was to develop a biocompatible growth factor delivery system capable of promoting chondrogenesis of infrapatellar fat pad (IFP)-derived stem cells. Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) was loaded into gelatin microspheres and incorporated into fibrin hydrogels containing IFP-derived stem cells. The release of TGF-β1 was quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, whereas chondrogenesis was demonstrated histologically and by quantifying sulfated glycosaminoglycan production after 21 days of in vitro culture. TGF-β1 loaded into gelatin microspheres appeared to be as effective in promoting chondrogenesis of IFP-derived stem cells as adding TGF-β1 directly to the medium. The influence of different microsphere fabrication parameters and TGF-β1 loading concentrations was also investigated but appeared to only have a small effect on subsequent chondrogenesis. The development of such growth factor delivery systems in combination with IFP-derived stem cells represents a potential new strategy for cartilage defect repair.
authors: Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Ahearne
authors: Conor T
authors: CT
authors: Buckley
authors: Daniel J
authors: DJ
authors: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology; D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000166:cytology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020219:Chondrogenesis; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations / Q000737:chemistry*; D005337:Fibrin / Q000737:chemistry*; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008863:Microspheres; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D020100:Hydrogels; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D005337:Fibrin