Repair of articular cartilage defects in rabbits through tissue-engineered cartilage constructed with chitosan hydrogel and chondrocytes

Abstract

Abstract:Objective: In our previous work, we prepared a type of chitosan hydrogel with excellent biocompatibility. In this study, tissue-engineered cartilage constructed with this chitosan hydrogel and costal chondrocytes was used to repair the articular cartilage defects. Methods: Chitosan hydrogels were prepared with a crosslinker formed by combining 1,6-diisocyanatohexane and polyethylene glycol. Chitosan hydrogel scaffold was seeded with rabbit chondrocytes that had been cultured for one week in vitro to form the preliminary tissue-engineered cartilage. This preliminary tissue-engineered cartilage was then transplanted into the defective rabbit articular cartilage. There were three treatment groups: the experimental group received preliminary tissue-engineered cartilage; the blank group received pure chitosan hydrogels; and, the control group had received no implantation. The knee joints were harvested at predetermined time. The repaired cartilage was analyzed through gross morphology, histologically and immunohistochemically. The repairs were scored according to the international cartilage repair society (ICRS) standard. Results: The gross morphology results suggested that the defects were repaired completely in the experimental group after twelve weeks. The regenerated tissue connected closely with subchondral bone and the boundary with normal tissue was fuzzy. The cartilage lacuna in the regenerated tissue was similar to normal cartilage lacuna. The results of ICRS gross and histological grading showed that there were significant differences among the three groups (P<0.05). Conclusions: Chondrocytes implanted in the scaffold can adhere, proliferate, and secrete extracellular matrix. The novel tissue-engineered cartilage constructed in our research can completely repair the structure of damaged articular cartilage.

Hydrogels based on chitosan in tissue regeneration: How do they work? A mini review

“…Finally, cell‐laden chitosan‐based hydrogel therapy is widely used in cartilage repair. Studies proved that the implanted cells could replace the cartilage defects and induce the cartilage regeneration . The reason may be attributed to the hydrogel environment, which can induce chondrogenesis by preserving cartilage extracellular signaling …”

Exquisite design of injectable Hydrogels in Cartilage Repair

“…These preclinical animal models include rabbit, canine, mini-pig, ovine, caprine, and equine, while cell types include autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and allogeneic umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells 35 . Although there are various distinctions in experimental manipulations (such as cell collection, processing, and delivery), these studies have shown that cartilage regeneration is improved over 3 months to 2 years with encouraging results 201 - 205 .…”

Role of the Biomimetic Scaffolds in the Regeneration of Articular Tissue in Deep Osteochondral Defects in a Rabbit Model

“…x 4 for image A (scale = 1000 µm), obx10 for image B (scale = 400 µm), obx40 for C, D and E images (scale = 100µm) potential to delay further degenerative changes and may eliminate the need for total joint replacements in the long term [10]. Artificial materials were used in biomedicine because of their superior mechanical properties, and biodegradability, but their poor biocompatibility has limited their application [15]. Natural materials, such as collagen [16,17], chitosan [18][19][20], alginate [21,22] and hyaluronic acid [23][24][25] have been studied and obtained promising results [1].…”