HR007: a family of biomaterials based on glycosaminoglycans for tissue repair

Abstract

Most new advances in tissue engineering (TE) focus on the creation of adequate microenvironments that may accelerate the repair processes of damaged tissues. Extracellular matrix (ECM) of Wharton's jelly (WJ) from umbilical cords is very rich in sulphated GAGs (sGAGs) and hyaluronic acid (HA), components which have special properties that could positively influence the regeneration of several types of tissue. Previously, we described the methodology for the extraction and purification of GAGs from WJ and, importantly, the separation of sGAGs and HA to develop various scaffolds for regenerative medicine. In this new study we hypothesized that the biomaterials obtained, called HR007s, would be excellent candidates for two different applications, chondral and dermal repair. First, we have confirmed that the GAGs obtained are biocompatible, as they do not cause cytotoxicity, haemolysis or an inflammatory response. Second, we have developed three-dimensional (3D) structures through the combination of different ratios of GAGs and their subsequent stabilization, which can be properly adapted to target tissues, cartilage or skin. Finally, we have combined these scaffolds with adipose mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) or fibroblasts for application to chondral or dermal defects, respectively, with the goal of promoting fast reparative processes. The results show that HR007 scaffolds induce cell proliferation, enhance the expression of specific gene markers, increase the production of tissue ECM proteins and have chemotactic effects over the studied cells. In summary, the bioactive properties of HR007 scaffolds make them promising candidates for use in regenerative medicine, at least for chondral and dermal repair. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fabrication of a three dimensional spongy scaffold using human Wharton's jelly derived extra cellular matrix for wound healing

“…Unlike the study by Herrero-Mendez et al [21] who extracted and purified only GAGs from WJ and used them for scaffold fabrication, we extracted the whole ECM of WJ which has the advantage of using all useful ECM components such as collagen and growth factors. Many of these growth factors such as bFGF, IGF-I, PDGF, EGF and TGF-β have been reported to regulate wound healing process [55,56].…”

“…Currently, WJ-derived ECM (WJ-ECM) has attracted researcher's attention for its biomedical applications [15,16,21].…”

Sustained Human Hair Follicle Growth Ex Vivo in a Glycosaminoglycan Hydrogel Matrix

“…Here, we used a unique tunable GAG hydrogel mimicking the dermal matrix composition [7,8], hereafter called HC007, composed of non-crosslinked native GAGs comprising hyaluronic acid of high and low molecular weight and sulfated GAGs (CS, DS, KS, and HS). HC007 behaves as a temporary extracellular matrix substitute in damaged tissues by attracting cells and creating an adequate environment where recruited cells find their innate extracellular matrix to survive, proliferate, attach, and elicit their natural bioactivity [7,8]. Human follicular units (FUs) grown ex vivo, typically containing one or two individualized hair follicles in the growing (anagen) phase embedded in a remnant matrix of fatty and dermal tissues (Figure 1A), were used as the experimental system.…”

Human umbilical cord‐derived scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

“…21 It is shown that HR007, a combination of HA and GAGs derived from umbilical cord, do not induce an immunogenic response and has chondrogenic potential in vitro. 22,23 In the present study, decellularized human umbilical cord as an undefined ECM polymer was employed for cartilage tissue engineering. Although it has been confirmed that both HA and GAGs are two critical components during cartilage regeneration, other important factors also need to be taken into consideration.…”