title: The optimization of a scaffold for cartilage regeneration.
abstract: Natural polymers offer various advantages in cartilage tissue engineering applications, thanks to their intrinsic bioactivity and adaptability, which can be exploited for the optimization of scaffold properties. In particular, silk fibroin has multifunctional features driven by the self-assembly of molecular subunits in appropriate environmental conditions. For these reasons, it was used in combination with hyaluronic acid to produce porous sponges for cartilage regeneration. The added amount of hyaluronic acid and the cross-linking with genipin modulated scaffold properties in a synergistic way, showing a strong inter-correlation among macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. Interestingly, hyaluronic acid affected silk fibroin conformation and induced a physical separation between the two material components in absence of genipin. Instead, this was prevented by the cross-linking reaction, resulting in a more interspersed network of protein and polysaccharide molecules partially resembling the structure of cartilage extracellular matrix. In addition, the systematic evaluation of sponge properties and how they can be modulated will represent a significant starting point for the interpretation of the complex outcomes driven by the scaffold in vitro and in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering and BIOtech Research Center, University of Trento, Mattarello, Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foss
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Migliaresi
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Motta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005349:Fibroins / Q000494:pharmacology; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D012038:Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D005349:Fibroins
keywords: cartilage tissue engineering; hyaluronic acid; scaffold; silk fibroin
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