Fumarate Copolymer–Chitosan Cross‐Linked Scaffold Directed to Osteochondrogenic Tissue Engineering

• Published in: Macromolecular bioscience 2017-05, Vol.17 (5), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Lastra, María Laura, Molinuevo, María Silvina, Cortizo, Ana María, Cortizo, María Susana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biocompatibility; Biomarkers - metabolism; Biomedical materials; bone; Bone growth; Bone marrow; Borax; Cartilage; Cells (biology); Cells, Cultured; Chitosan; Chitosan - chemistry; Chondrocytes; Chondrogenesis; Copolymers; Crosslinking; cross‐linked polymer; Cytotoxicity; Fumarates - chemistry; Gene Expression; Glass transition temperature; Hydrogels; Mechanical properties; Morphology; Osteogenesis; Osteoprogenitor cells; polyfumarate; Polymer blends; Polymers; Polymers - chemistry; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Regeneration; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Scaffolds; Temperature effects; Tissue Engineering; Tissue Scaffolds; Toxicity; Vinyl acetate
• ISSN: 1616-5187; 1616-5195
• DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201600219

Natural and synthetic cross‐linked polymers allow the improvement of cytocompatibility and mechanical properties of the individual polymers. In osteochondral lesions of big size it will be required the use of scaffolds to repair the lesion. In this work a borax cross‐linked scaffold based on fumarate‐vinyl acetate copolymer and chitosan directed to osteochondrondral tissue engineering is developed. The cross‐linked scaffolds and physical blends of the polymers are analyzed in based on their morphology, glass transition temperature, and mechanical properties. In addition, the stability, degradation behavior, and the swelling kinetics are studied. The results demonstrate that the borax cross‐linked scaffold exhibits hydrogel behavior with appropriated mechanical properties for bone and cartilage tissue regeneration. Bone marrow progenitor cells and primary chondrocytes are used to demonstrate its osteo‐ and chondrogenic properties, respectively, assessing the osteo‐ and chondroblastic growth and maturation, without evident signs of cytotoxicity as it is evaluated in an in vitro system. A borax cross‐linked scaffold based on fumarate‐vinyl acetate copolymer and chitosan directed to osteochondrondral tissue engineering is developed. Taking advantage of its hydrogel behavior, osteoblastic and chondroblastic cells can grow and maturate in the scaffold producing specific extracellular matrix and molecular markers of phenotype with the additional advantages of degradation time adequate to support tissue regeneration and with low cytotoxicity.