title: TGF-β3-induced chondrogenesis in co-cultures of chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells on biodegradable scaffolds.
abstract: In this work, it was hypothesized that co-cultures of articular chondrocytes (ACs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) would exhibit enhanced sensitivity to chondrogenic stimuli, such as TGF-β3, and would require a reduced concentration of TGF-β3 to achieve an equivalent level of chondrogenesis compared to monocultures of each cell type. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that compared to monocultures, the chondrogenic phenotype of AC/MSC co-cultures would be more stable upon the removal of TGF-β3 from the culture medium. These hypotheses were investigated by culturing ACs and MSCs alone and in a 1:3 ratio on electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds. All cell populations were cultured for two weeks with 0, 1, 3, or 10 ng/ml of TGF-β3. After two weeks growth factor supplementation was removed, and the constructs were cultured for two additional weeks. Cell proliferation, extracellular matrix production, and chondrogenic gene expression were evaluated after two and four weeks. The results demonstrated that co-cultures of ACs and MSCs require a reduced concentration and duration of TGF-β3 exposure to achieve an equivalent level of chondrogenesis compared to AC or MSC monocultures. Thus, the present work implicates that the promise of co-cultures for cartilage engineering is enhanced by their robust phenotype and heightened sensitivity to TGF-β3.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dahlin
authors.forename: Mengwei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Ville V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Meretoja
authors.forename: F Kurtis
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Kasper
authors.forename: Antonios G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mikos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002417:Cattle; D020219:Chondrogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D017931:DNA Primers; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D011817:Rabbits; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3 / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D017931:DNA Primers; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3
keywords: Cartilage tissue engineering; Chondrocyte; Co-culture; Growth factors; Mesenchymal stem cell; Polycaprolactone