Collagen Type I and II Blend Hydrogel with Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a Scaffold for Articular Cartilage Defect Repair

Abstract

Collagen type II is a promising material to repair cartilage defects since it is a major component of articular cartilage and plays a key role in chondrocyte function. This study investigated the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrowderived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) embedded within a 3:1 collagen type I to II blend (Col I/II) hydrogel or an all collagen type I (Col I) hydrogel. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) production in Col I/II hydrogels was statistically higher than that in Col I hydrogels or pellet culture, and these results suggested that adding collagen type II promoted GAG production. Col I/II hydrogels had statistically lower alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity than pellets cultured in a chondrogenic medium. The ability of MSCs encapsulated in Col I/II hydrogels to repair cartilage defects was investigated by creating two cartilage defects in the femurs of rabbits. After 13 weeks, histochemical staining suggested that Col I/II blend hydrogels provided favorable conditions for cartilage repair. Histological scoring revealed a statistically higher cartilage repair score for the Col I/II hydrogels compared to either the Col I hydrogels or empty defect controls. Results from this study suggest that there is clinical value in the cartilage repair capabilities of our Col I/II hydrogel with encapsulated MSCs.

Applications of Biomaterials in 3D Cell Culture and Contributions of 3D Cell Culture to Drug Development and Basic Biomedical Research

“…Previous studies have shown that type I collagen promotes the proliferation of chondrocytes and that type II collagen supports the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs [ 59 , 60 ]. The results from this study suggest that there is clinical value in the cartilage repair capabilities of Col I/II hydrogel with encapsulated MSCs [ 61 , 62 ]. Nonetheless, the long-term performance of pure type I collagen may be compromised by significant shrinkage and weak mechanical properties [ 63 , 64 ].…”

Best of Both Hydrogel Worlds: Harnessing Bioactivity and Tunability by Incorporating Glycosaminoglycans in Collagen Hydrogels

“…For example, articular cartilage and vitreous fluid contain predominantly collagen type II, but it is challenging to make structurally robust collagen type II hydrogels. Our lab therefore designed hydrogels by copolymerizing collagen type I and type II to harness the biological activity of collagen type II and the improved mechanical properties of collagen type I for articular tissue engineering [ 44 , 45 ]. Bioprinted collagen type II hydrogels with chondrocytes have also been designed to form biomimetic hydrogels with cell density gradients to mimic cartilage zones [ 46 ].…”

Thermo-responsive injectable naringin-loaded hydrogel polymerised sodium alginate/bioglass delivery for articular cartilage

“…Mainly because there are no vascular channels, the conversion of stable chondrocytes into deficient locations and low protein efficiency typical of the adjacent extracellular matrices are inadequate. The combined administration to cartilage defect site of suitable cells, scaffolds and biological factors will contribute toward the structural and functional restoration of damaged tissues (Reimann et al., 2017 ; Kilmer et al., 2020 ; Mancipe Castro et al., 2020 ). Therefore, the challenge in orthopedics lies in an appropriate procedure for the reconstruction of joint cartilage defects.…”