J Biomed Mater Res A. 2017 Mar 3. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.36054. [Epub ahead of print]

Chitosan-agarose scaffolds supports chondrogenesis of Human Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Merlin Rajesh Lal LP^1,2, Suraishkumar GK², Nair PD².

Abstract

Tissue engineering strategies for cartilage aim to restore the complex biomechanical and biochemical properties of the native cartilage. To mimic the in-vivo microenvironment, we developed a novel scaffold based on chitosan-agarose (CHAG scaffold) resembling the properties of native cartilage extracellular matrix that aids in-vitro cartilage formation. The CHAG scaffolds had pore size ranging from 75 µm to 300 µm and the degradation of 18% over 6 months in PBS. L929 cells and Human Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (HWJ-MSCs) attached well and grew in the CHAG scaffolds. HWJ-MSCs seeded on CHAG scaffolds and cultured in chondrogenic medium were able to differentiate into chondrogenic lineage. Simultaneous supplementation of growth factors (BMP-2, TGF-β3) significantly enhanced chondrogenesis and neo extracellular matrix synthesis. CHAG scaffolds seeded with HWJ-MSCs cultured in chondrogenic media supplemented with both BMP-2 and TGF-β3 produced 12.71±1.0 µg GAG/µg DNA compared to the one which received no or either of the growth factors. Our findings suggest that CHAG scaffolds could be used as a biomaterial scaffold for cell mediated repair approaches based on HWJ-MSCs for articular cartilage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.