title: Silk fibroin/hyaluronic acid 3D matrices for cartilage tissue engineering.
abstract: In spite of commercially available products, the complete and sustained repair of damaged articular cartilage still presents various challenges. Among biomaterials proposed for cartilage repair, silk fibroin (SF) has been recently proposed as a material template for porous scaffolds cultured with chondrocytes and investigated in static and dynamic conditions. In addition to fibroin-based constructs, literature has reported that the combination of hyaluronic acid (HA) with other scaffold materials can protect the chondral phenotype and the cells in vitro response to the scaffold. In this study, the effect of the addition of HA on the physical properties of SF sponges, with and without cross-linking with genipin, was investigated. Salt-leached scaffolds were characterized in terms of morphology and structural and physical properties, as well as mechanical performance. Un-cross-linked sponges resulted in the physical separation of highly hydrophilic HA from the SF, while cross-linking prevented this phenomenon, resulting in a homogeneous blend. The presence of HA also influenced fibroin crystallinity and tended to decrease the cross-linking degree of the scaffolds when compared to the pure SF material.
authors.affiliation: BIOtech, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, via delle Regole 101, 38123 Mattarello, Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foss
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Merzari
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Migliaresi
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Motta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000737:chemistry*; D005349:Fibroins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D047011:Silk; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D005349:Fibroins