In vitro generation of osteochondral composites

Osteochondral repair involves the regeneration of articular cartilage and underlying bone, and the development of a well-defined tissue-to-tissue interface. We investigated tissue engineering of three-dimensional cartilage/bone composites based on biodegradable polymer scaffolds, chondrogenic and os...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomaterials 2000-12, Vol.21 (24), p.2599-2606
Main Authors: Schaefer, D, Martin, I, Shastri, P, Padera, R.F, Langer, R, Freed, L.E, Vunjak-Novakovic, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biocompatible Materials
Biodegradation
Bone
Bone and Bones
Calcification, Physiologic
Cartilage
Cartilage, Articular
Cattle
Composite Resins
Interfaces (materials)
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Osteochondral repair
Poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid
Polyglycolic acid
Tissue culture
Tissue engineering
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Summary:Osteochondral repair involves the regeneration of articular cartilage and underlying bone, and the development of a well-defined tissue-to-tissue interface. We investigated tissue engineering of three-dimensional cartilage/bone composites based on biodegradable polymer scaffolds, chondrogenic and osteogenic cells. Cartilage constructs were created by cultivating primary bovine calf articular chondrocytes on polyglycolic acid meshes; bone-like constructs were created by cultivating expanded bovine calf periosteal cells on foams made of a blend of poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid and polyethylene glycol. Pairs of constructs were sutured together after 1 or 4 weeks of isolated culture, and the resulting composites were cultured for an additional 4 weeks. All composites were structurally stable and consisted of well-defined cartilaginous and bone-like tissues. The fraction of glycosaminoglycan in the cartilaginous regions increased with time, both in isolated and composite cultures. In contrast, the mineralization in bone-like regions increased during isolated culture, but remained approximately constant during the subsequent composite culture. The integration at the cartilage/bone interface was generally better for composites consisting of immature (1-week) than mature (4-week) constructs. This study demonstrates that osteochondral tissue composites for potential use in osteochondral repair can be engineered in vitro by culturing mammalian chondrocytes and periosteal cells on appropriate polymer scaffolds.
ISSN:0142-9612
1878-5905
DOI:10.1016/S0142-9612(00)00127-7