Feasibility study on intact human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly as a scaffold for human autologous chondrocyte: In-vitro study

Abstract

Objectives: Placental tissue is an established biomaterial used in many clinical applications. However, its use for tissue engineering purposes has not been fully realized. Though articular cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived oriented scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering were developed, resources are a hindrance to its application. In this regard, the present study investigated the feasibility of using intact decellularized human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly (hUC-WJ) as a new material for chondrocyte carrier in cartilage tissue engineering. The developed hUC-WJ scaffold provides a good microenvironment for the attachment, viability, and delivery of seeded human autologous chondrocytes. It has an advantage over other biomaterials in terms of abundant availability and similar biochemistry to cartilage ECM. Materials and methods: hUC-WJ obtained from fresh human placenta were decellularized and gamma sterilized. Human cartilage tissue was obtained from the patients with a total knee replacement. The chondrocytes were isolated and expanded in-vitro and seeded onto the hUC-WJ scaffold. The efficiency of the decellularized tissue as a delivery system for human cartilage cells was investigated by histology, immunohistochemistry, cell count, flow cytometry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: The results showed that the decellularized hUC-WJ scaffold has supported the microenvironment for chondrocyte attachment and viability without losing its phenotype. In addition, the cells were spread through the hUC-WJ scaffold as confirmed by histology and SEM. Conclusion: Based on obtained results, the hUC-WJ scaffold has great potential as a 3D scaffold for human autologous chondrocyte carriers in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

Wharton’s jelly and osteoarthritis of the knee

“…The UC-derived WJ scaffold supported cartilaginous attachment, when used with autologous chondrocytes, demonstrating the potential of WJ to be used to regenerate articular cartilage. 25 …”

“…determined that a decellularized human UC-WJ scaffold effectively supports a microenvironment necessary for the attachment of viable chondrocytes. 25 Overall, only a few in vitro studies examined the specific effects of WJ-MSCs on knee OA, and future research should evaluate the immunomodulatory impact of these stem cells on knee OA. Overall, the basic science studies published so far have shown promising results, but further investigations should be conducted looking at additional metrics, such as inflammatory, degenerative, cell death markers to state more conclusively that this biologic therapy can produce beneficial results in patients with knee OA.…”

Wharton's jelly‐derived multifunctional hydrogels: New tools to promote intervertebral disc regeneration in vitro and ex vivo

“…9,10 In the current framework, the idea, at the base of the current article, is to make an attempt to ameliorate the functionality of the IVD cells embedded in a degenerated disc environment, by exploiting the properties of a specific ECM with high potential in regenerative medicine, namely the decellularized matrix obtained from the umbilical cord Wharton's jelly (DWJ). 11,12 It is indeed well known that DWJ possesses several properties well suitable for tissue repair/ engineering approaches, including biomechanical, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, and biocompatibility features. 13 The human Wharton's jelly, in the last few years, has indeed received an increasing attention due to its potential for regenerative medicine applications as "natural constituent" to produce biomimetic scaffolds.…”