Effects of growth factors on equine synovial fibroblasts seeded on synthetic scaffolds for avascular meniscal tissue engineering

• Published in: Research in veterinary science 2010-04, Vol.88 (2), p.326-332
• Main Authors: Fox, Derek B., Warnock, Jennifer J., Stoker, Aaron M., Luther, Jill K., Cockrell, Mary
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aggrecans - genetics; Aggrecans - metabolism; Animals; Bioreactor; bioreactors; Cell culture; Cell Culture Techniques; Collagen; Collagen Type II - genetics; Collagen Type II - metabolism; Colleges & universities; Fibroblast Growth Factors - pharmacology; fibroblast-like synoviocytes; fibroblasts; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - drug effects; gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Growth factors; horses; Horses - physiology; in vitro studies; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - pharmacology; Insulin-like growth factors; Meniscus; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; surgery; Synovial fibroblasts; Synovial Fluid - cytology; synthetic scaffolds; Teaching hospitals; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - veterinary; tissue repair; Transforming Growth Factor beta - pharmacology; Veterinary medicine
• ISSN: 0034-5288; 1532-2661
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2009.07.015

Across species, the avascular portion of the knee meniscus cannot heal spontaneously if severely injured. The most common treatment is meniscectomy which results in osteoarthritis. The objective of this study was to assess the fibrochondrogenic potential of equine fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) seeded on scaffolds under the influence of growth factors in vitro to determine the potential of developing a novel cell-based repair strategy. Cultured FLS were seeded onto synthetic scaffolds in a rotating bioreactor under the influence of three growth factor regimens: none, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) alone, and bFGF plus transforming growth factor (TGF-β 1) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). Constructs were analyzed for mRNA expression and production of fibrochondroid extracellular matrix constituents. Type II collagen and aggrecan mRNA were significantly higher in growth factor-treated groups ( p < 0.05). Despite sub-optimal extracellular matrix production, FLS can exhibit fibrochondral characteristics and may have potential for cell-based tissue engineering for avascular meniscal regeneration.