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Focal chondral lesions of the knee are the most frequent type of trauma in younger patients and are associated with a high risk of developing early posttraumatic osteoarthritis. The only current clinical solutions include microfracture, osteochondral grafting, and autologous chondrocyte implantation. Cartilage tissue engineering based on biomimetic scaffolds has become an appealing strategy to repair cartilage defects. Here, a chondrogenic collagen-chondroitin sulfate scaffold is tested in an orthotopic Lapine in vivo model to understand the beneficial effects of the immunomodulatory biomaterial on the full chondral defect. Using a combination of noninvasive imaging techniques, histological and whole transcriptome analysis, the scaffolds are shown to enhance the formation of cartilaginous tissue and suppression of host cartilage degeneration, while also supporting tissue integration and increased tissue regeneration over a 12 weeks recovery period. The results presented suggest that biomimetic materials could be a clinical solution for cartilage tissue repair, due to their ability to modulate the immune environment in favor of regenerative processes and suppression of cartilage degeneration.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common gynaecological disorder, with a prevalence of up to 12% of women of reproductive age, and is in part characterised by elevated circulating androgens and aberrant expression of androgen receptor (AR) in the endometrium. A high percentage of PCOS patients suffer from infertility, a condition that appears to be linked to mistimed and incomplete decidualisation critically affecting events surrounding embryo implantation. The aim of this study was to examine the involvement of MAGEA11, and the genome-wide role of AR in PCOS. We determined that elevated androgen levels on PCOS cells had an impact on the delayed and incomplete decidual transformation of endometrial cells. The AR co-regulator MAGEA11, a known enhancer of AR function, was constitutively overexpressed throughout the menstrual cycle of PCOS patients, co-localised in the nucleus of PCOS stromal tissue and cells and formed a molecular complex with AR. Genome-wide AR analysis in PCOS stromal cells revealed that AR targets included genes involved in cell death and apoptosis, as well as genes commonly dysregulated in endometrial cancer. Enhanced MAGEA11 and AR-mediated transcriptional regulation may impact on a correct endometrial decidualisation response, subsequently affecting endometrial receptivity in these infertile women. Key messages MAGEA11 and AR are overexpressed in hyperandrogenic PCOS patients. MAGEA11-AR overexpression in PCOS correlates with delayed decidualisation. AR and MAGEA11 associate in a molecular complex. AR directly regulates a unique set of genes controlling gene differentiation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00109-019-01809-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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