Constructing injectable tissue-engineered cartilage using cytodex-3 microcarrier and alginate hydrogel

Yin He-yong; Sun Zhen; Li Pan; Yu Xiao-ming; Xu Yi-chi; Sun Xun; Xiao Bo; Wang Yu; Wang Ai-yuan; Guo Quan-yi; Xu Wen-jing; Lu Shi-bi; Peng Jiang

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2016.34.014

Abstract：BACKGROUND:Alginate hydrogel and microcarrierbothcan be used as injectable scaffolds, buttheir shortcomings such as poor mechanical property and poor plasticity remain unresolved. <br> OBJIECTIVE:To explore the feasibility of constructing an injectable tissue-engineered cartilage with cytodex-3 microcarrier/alginate hydrogelcomposite. <br> METHODS:Injectable cytodex-3 microcarrier/alginate hydrogel composite scaffold and injectable alginate hydrogel scaffold were established, and the mechanical properties of the two scaffolds were detected. Chondrocytes-seeded cytodex-3 microcarrier was obtained after incubatedin the bioreactor, and then composited with alginate hydrogel as experimental group; chondrocytes were co-cultured with alginate hydrogel as control group. Subsequently, cel viabilityandability ofDNA and glycosaminoglycansynthesis were detected. <br> RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The Young’s modulus of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P< 0.05). And in the control group, chondrocytes were in a round shape and evenly distributed in the alginate hydrogel; in the experimental group, chondrocytes adhered on the scaffold surface and evenly distributed in the scaffold. After 1 day of culture,bothviable and numerous dead chondrocytes could be found in both two scaffolds; and after 14-day culture, there were no dead chondrocytes in both two scaffolds, abundant proliferating chondrocytes maintained a high cel viability, andthe number of chondrocytes in the experimental group was significantly higer than that of the control group. What’s more, the contents of DNA and glycosaminoglycans were in a rise with time in both two groups, which were significantly higher in the experimental groupthan the control group(P< 0.05). These results suggest that the cytodex-3 microcarrier/alginate hydrogel composite is a promising injectable scaffold in cartilage tissue engineering.