Cartilage tissue engineering with novel nonwoven structured biomaterial based on hyaluronic acid benzyl ester

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using the benzyl ester of hyaluronic acid (HYAFF 11), a recently developed semisynthetic resorbable material, as a scaffold for the culture of human nasoseptal chondrocytes in tissue-engineering procedures of cartilage reconstruction. Different techniques such as immunohistochemistry, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to study the behavior, morphology, and phenotype expression of the chondrocytes, which were initially expanded and then seeded on the material. The nonwoven cell carrier allowed good viability and adhesivity of the cells without any surface treatment with additional substances. Furthermore, the cultured cells expressed cartilage-specific collagen type II, indicating that they were able to redifferentiate within the scaffold of HYAFF 11 and were able to retain a chondrocyte phenotype even after a long period of in vitro conditions. Nevertheless, the expression of collagen type I, which was produced by dedifferentiated or incompletely redifferentiated chondrocytes, was noticeable. Additional data were obtained by subcutaneous implantation of samples seeded with human cells in the in vivo model of the athymic nude mouse. The results after 1 month revealed the development of tissue similar to hyaline cartilage. This study is promising for the use of this scaffold for tissue engineering of cartilage replacements.

Engineering growing tissues

“…Past studies aimed at modeling growth plate physiology used monolayer chondrocyte cultures, which do not stabilize the chondrocyte phenotype and neglect the true in vivo spatial arrangement of chondrocytes and their matrix (18,19). Subsequent studies have used chondrocyte aggregates (20) or suspension cultures in which chondrocytes were cultured in a variety of three-dimensional gels (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). Although these systems preserved the chondrocyte rounded phenotype and provided a more realistic three-dimensional environment, none of these models provided for chondrocyte transformation from a proliferative to a differentiating phenotype within the growth plate (20) nor accounted for the complex cell-cell interactions and soluble signaling that occurs between osteoblasts and chondrocytes within an actual growth plate.…”

Influence of in vitro maturation of engineered cartilage on the outcome of osteochondral repair in a goat model

“…Cartilaginous constructs were engineered using HYAFF ® -11, a non-woven esterifi ed form of hyaluronic acid (Aigner et al, 1998). The subchondral support consisted of sponges made of 65 % hydroxyapatite and HYAFF ® -11, a composite material with a biological performance so far only assessed in an in vitro model (Giordano et al, 2006).…”

Cartilage tissue engineering by expanded goat articular chondrocytes

“…13 Chondrocyte Cultivation in 3D Scaffolds HYAFF 1 -M nonwoven meshes (FIDIA Advanced Biopolymers, Abano Terme, Italy) 20 and PEGT/PBT copolymer foams (PEGT molecular weight of 300 g/mol and PEGT:PBT weight ratio of 55:45, produced by compression molding and particle leaching technique; IsoTis B.V., Bilthoven, The Netherlands) 21 were cored as discs (6 mm diameter, 1 mm thick), prewet overnight in CTR medium and quickly blotted dry prior to seeding with second passage chondrocytes (3 Â 10 6 /scaffold). Constructs were statically cultured for 2 days, 2, 4, or 6 weeks in CTR medium supplemented with 10 mg/mL insulin and 0.1 mM ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, selected based on previous studies on bovine engineered cartilage.…”