A chondroitin sulfate based injectable hydrogel for delivery of stem cells in cartilage regeneration. (6th May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Xiaolin; Xu, Qian; Johnson, Melissa; Wang, Xi; Lyu, Jing; Li, Yinghao; McMahon, Sean; Greiser, Udo; A, Sigen; Wang, Wenxin
• Is Part Of: Biomaterials science. Volume 9:Number 11(2021)
• Page Start: 4139
• Page End: 4148
• Publication Date: 2021-05-06
• Subjects: Biomedical materials -- Periodicals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.1039/d1bm00482d
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2047-4830

Abstract

Abstract : An injectable hydrogel system fabricated with functionalised chondroitin sulfate and a hyperbranched multi-functional PEG polymer was developed as a stem cell delivery system for cartilage tissue engineering. Abstract : Chondroitin sulfate (CS), as a popular material for cartilage tissue engineering scaffolds, has been extensively studied and reported for its safety and excellent biocompatibility. However, the rapid degradation of pure CS scaffolds has brought a challenge to regenerate neo-tissue similar to natural articular cartilage effectively. Meanwhile, the poly(ethene glycol) (PEG) -based biopolymer is frequently applied as a structural constituent material because of its remarkable mechanical properties, long-lasting in vivo stability, and hypo-immunity. Here, we report that the combination of CS and hyperbranched multifunctional PEG copolymer (HB-PEG) could synergistically promote cartilage repair. The thiol functionalised CS (CS-SH)/HB-PEG hydrogel scaffolds were fabricated via thiol–ene reaction, which exhibits rapid gelation, excellent mechanical properties and prolonged degradation properties. We found that rat adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells presented great cell viability and improved chondrogenesis in CS-SH/HB-PEG hydrogels. Moreover, the injectable hydrogel scaffolds reduced stem cell inflammatory response, consistent with the well-documented anti-inflammatory activities of CS.