Comparative study of alginate and type I collagen as biomaterials for cartilage stem/progenitor cells to construct tissue-engineered cartilage in vivo

Abstract

With the help of biomaterials, cartilage stem/progenitor cells (CSPCs) derived from cartilage tissue present a promising choice for cartilage regeneration. In our previous study, we investigated whether CSPCs could be ideal seeding cells for cartilage tissue regeneration. Biomaterials are fabricated to accelerate tissue regeneration, providing a suitable environment for cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. Among the biomaterials used in cartilage regeneration medicine, alginate and collagen are classified as natural biomaterials and are characterized by high biocompatibility, bioactivity, and non-toxic degradation products. However, it is unclear which material would have a competitive advantage in CSPC-based cartilage regeneration in vivo. In the present study, we employed alginate and type Ⅰ collagen as substrates for CSPCs and chondrocytes, which was made control group, to explore a more suitable biomaterials for CSPCs to fabricate tissue-engineered cartilage, in vivo. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, Safranin O, immunohistochemical assay, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to evaluate the tissue-engineered cartilage in vivo. Compared with the alginate group, collagen enhanced the expression of cartilage-specific genes, such as ACAN, SOX9, and COLII, more markedly. Furthermore, the marker genes of expression, dedifferentiation, and hypertrophy, COLI and COLX, were downregulated in the collagen group. The results demonstrated that collagen as a substrate was superior to alginate in increasing the accumulation of cartilage-like ECM for CSPCs in vivo. In summary, compared with alginate, collagen hydrogel is an effective biomaterial for CSPC-based cartilage regeneration.

Hydrogel Based on Chitosan/Gelatin/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) for In Vitro Human Auricular Chondrocyte Culture

“…Conversely, no significant differences were observed at either 24 or 72 h for the highest tested concentrations (50.0% and 100%), compared to non-exposed cells. Interestingly, chondrocytes cultured in 50% and 100% extract concentrations demonstrated the highest viability after 72 h, with a statistically significant increase observed in the 100% extract group between 24 and 72 h. This could be explained by the presence of a higher amount of Gel dissolved in the culture medium than in the other extract dilutions, promoting cell growth and proliferation due to similarities in structure and function with collagen, which is an excellent substrate for cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation [ 23 , 65 , 66 ].…”

Natural based hydrogels promote chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

“…Cartilage is a highly specialized connective tissue that has a limited ability for self-repair after injury due to avascularity and a low supply of repair cells ( Zhang et al, 2009 ; Zhang X. et al, 2023 ). To treat cartilage deficiencies, numerous surgical techniques exist, but their efficiency has not yet been proven.…”

“…Xiaodie Zhang et al (2023) worked on Comparative study of alginate and type I collagen as biomaterials for cartilage stem/progenitor cells to construct tissue-engineered cartilage in vivo . They used of immunofluorescence staining for showing the COL2 formation to prove chondrogenic differentiation ( Zhang X. et al, 2023 ). However, we used of immunofluorescence staining for demonstrating COL2 and ACAN as tow important chondrogenic factor.…”