Abstract
Since cartilage has a limited capacity for self-regeneration, treating cartilage degenerative disorders is a long-standing difficulty in orthopedic medicine. Researchers have scrutinized cartilage tissue regeneration to handle the deficiency of cartilage restoration capacity. This investigation proposed to compose an innovative nanocomposite biomaterial that enhances growth factor delivery to the injured cartilage site. Here, we describe the design and development of the biocompatible poly(lactide-co-glycolide) acid-collagen/poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-collagen/PLGA-PEG-PLGA) nanocomposite hydrogel containing transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). PLGA-PEG-PLGA nanoparticles were employed as a delivery system embedding TGF-β1 as an articular cartilage repair therapeutic agent. This study evaluates various physicochemical aspects of fabricated scaffolds by 1HNMR, FT-IR, SEM, BET, and DLS methods. The physicochemical features of the developed scaffolds, including porosity, density, degradation, swelling ratio, mechanical properties, morphologies, BET, ELISA, and cytotoxicity were assessed. The cell viability was investigated with the MTT test. Chondrogenic differentiation was assessed via Alcian blue staining and RT-PCR. In real-time PCR testing, the expression of Sox-9, collagen type II, and aggrecan genes was monitored. According to the results, human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) exhibited high adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation on PLGA-collagen/PLGA-PEG-PLGA-TGFβ1 nanocomposite scaffolds compared to the control groups. SEM images displayed suitable cell adhesion and distribution of hDPSCs throughout the scaffolds. RT-PCR assay data displayed that TGF-β1 loaded PLGA-PEG-PLGA nanoparticles puts forward chondroblast differentiation in hDPSCs through the expression of chondrogenic genes. The findings revealed that PLGA-collagen/PLGA-PEG-PLGA-TGF-β1 nanocomposite hydrogel can be utilized as a supportive platform to support hDPSCs differentiation by implementing specific physio-chemical features.
Graphical abstract
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and materials
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Abbreviations
- PBS:
-
Phosphate-buffered saline
- FBS:
-
Fetal bovine serum
- DMEM:
-
Dulbecco modified Eagle’s medium
- h-DPSCs:
-
Human dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells
- ELISA:
-
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
- PLGA-PEG-PLGA:
-
Poly D, L (lactide-co-glycolide)-b-poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly D, L (lactide-co-glycolide
- MTT:
-
3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
References
Elisseeff J. Injectable cartilage tissue engineering. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2004;4(12):1849–59.
Kalamegam G, et al. A comprehensive review of stem cells for cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis. 2018.
Iturriaga L, et al. Advances in stem cell therapy for cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2018;18(8):883–96.
Amini AA, Nair LS. Injectable hydrogels for bone and cartilage repair. Biomed Mater. 2012;7(2): p. 024105.
Munir N, Callanan A. Novel phase separated polycaprolactone/collagen scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. Biomed Mater. 2018;13(5): p. 051001.
Mistry H, et al. Autologous chondrocyte implantation in the knee: systematic review and economic evaluation. 2017.
Demoor M, et al. Cartilage tissue engineering: molecular control of chondrocyte differentiation for proper cartilage matrix reconstruction. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects. 2014;1840(8): p. 2414–2440.
Mansour JM. Biomechanics of cartilage. Kinesiology: the mechanics and pathomechanics of human movement. 2003;p. 66–79.
Sophia Fox AJ, Bedi A, Rodeo SA. The basic science of articular cartilage: structure, composition, and function. Sports Health. 2009;1(6): p. 461–468.
Fernandes TL, et al. Systematic review of human dental pulp stem cells for cartilage regeneration. Tissue Eng Part B Rev. 2020;26(1):1–12.
Li P-L, et al. Clinical-grade human dental pulp stem cells suppressed the activation of osteoarthritic macrophages and attenuated cartilaginous damage in a rabbit osteoarthritis model. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2021;12(1):1–15.
Hokmabad VR, et al. A comparison of the effects of silica and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on poly (ε-caprolactone)-poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (ε-caprolactone)/chitosan nanofibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. 2018;15(6):735–50.
Aghazadeh M, et al. The effect of melanocyte stimulating hormone and hydroxyapatite on osteogenesis in pulp stem cells of human teeth transferred into polyester scaffolds. Fibers and Polymers. 2018;19(11):2245–53.
Cristaldi M, et al. Dental pulp stem cells for bone tissue engineering: a review of the current literature and a look to the future. Regen Med. 2018;13(2):207–18.
Williams DF, et al. Chapter 36 - hydrogels in regenerative medicine. In: Atala A, et al., editors. Principles of Regenerative Medicine (Third Edition). Boston: Academic Press; 2019. p. 627–50.
Yegappan R, et al. Injectable angiogenic and osteogenic carrageenan nanocomposite hydrogel for bone tissue engineering. Int J Biol Macromol. 2019;122:320–8.
Vega SL, Kwon MY, Burdick JA. Recent advances in hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering. Eur Cell Mater. 2017;33:59.
Bernhard JC, Vunjak-Novakovic G. Should we use cells, biomaterials, or tissue engineering for cartilage regeneration? Stem Cell Res Ther. 2016;7(1):56.
Elango J, et al. Rheological, biocompatibility and osteogenesis assessment of fish collagen scaffold for bone tissue engineering. Int J Biol Macromol. 2016;91:51–9.
Lee HJ. Hybrid hydrogels for tissue engineering. 2015.
Wang J, et al. Silk fibroin/collagen/hyaluronic acid scaffold incorporating pilose antler polypeptides microspheres for cartilage tissue engineering. Mater Sci Eng, C. 2019;94:35–44.
Chicatun F, et al. Collagen/chitosan composite scaffolds for bone and cartilage tissue engineering. In: Biomedical Composites. Elsevier; 2017. p. 163–98.
Quinlan E, et al. Hypoxia-mimicking bioactive glass/collagen glycosaminoglycan composite scaffolds to enhance angiogenesis and bone repair. Biomaterials. 2015;52:358–66.
Raeisdasteh Hokmabad V, et al. Design and fabrication of porous biodegradable scaffolds: a strategy for tissue engineering. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed. 2017;28(16):1797–825.
Khorshid NK, et al. Novel structural changes during temperature-induced self-assembling and gelation of PLGA-PEG-PLGA triblock copolymer in aqueous solutions. Macromol Biosci. 2016;16(12):1838–52.
Chen G, Kawazoe N. Porous scaffolds for regeneration of cartilage, bone and osteochondral tissue. Osteochondral Tissue Engineering: Nanotechnology, Scaffolding-Related Developments and Translation. 2018; p. 171–191.
Witwer KW, Wolfram J. Extracellular vesicles versus synthetic nanoparticles for drug delivery. Nat Rev Mater. 2021;6(2):103–6.
Herrmann IK, Wood MJA, Fuhrmann G. Extracellular vesicles as a next-generation drug delivery platform. Nat Nanotechnol. 2021;16(7):748–59.
Alcaraz MJ, Compañ A, Guillén MI. Extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stem cells as novel treatments for musculoskeletal diseases. Cells. 2020;9(1):98.
Jin Q, et al. Extracellular vesicles derived from human dental pulp stem cells promote osteogenesis of adipose-derived stem cells via the MAPK pathway. Journal of tissue engineering. 2020;11:2041731420975569.
Della Porta G, Ciardulli MC, Maffulli N. Microcapsule technology for controlled growth factor release in musculoskeletal tissue engineering. Sports medicine and arthroscopy review. 2018;26(2): p. e2-e9.
Awad HA, et al. Effects of transforming growth factor β 1 and dexamethasone on the growth and chondrogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stromal cells. Tissue Eng. 2003;9(6):1301–12.
Na K, et al. Delivery of dexamethasone, ascorbate, and growth factor (TGF β-3) in thermo-reversible hydrogel constructs embedded with rabbit chondrocytes. Biomaterials. 2006;27(35):5951–7.
Kowalczewski CJ, Saul JM. Biomaterials for the delivery of growth factors and other therapeutic agents in tissue engineering approaches to bone regeneration. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:513.
Askari M, et al. Sustained release of TGF-β1 via genetically-modified cells induces the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells encapsulated in alginate sulfate hydrogels. J Mater Sci - Mater Med. 2019;30(1):7.
Levinson C, et al. An injectable heparin-conjugated hyaluronan scaffold for local delivery of transforming growth factor β1 promotes successful chondrogenesis. Acta Biomater. 2019;99:168–80.
Böck T, et al. TGF-β1-modified hyaluronic acid/poly (glycidol) hydrogels for chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stromal cells. Macromol Biosci. 2018;18(7):1700390.
Fernandes TL, et al. Macrophage: a potential target on cartilage regeneration. Front Immunol. 2020;11:111.
Modaresifar K, Hadjizadeh A, Niknejad H. Design and fabrication of GelMA/chitosan nanoparticles composite hydrogel for angiogenic growth factor delivery. Artificial cells, nanomedicine, and biotechnology. 2018;46(8):1799–808.
Begines B, et al. Polymeric nanoparticles for drug delivery: recent developments and future prospects. Nanomaterials. 2020;10(7):1403.
Oliveira ÉR, et al. Advances in growth factor delivery for bone tissue engineering. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(2):903.
Wang J, et al. Double-layered collagen/silk fibroin composite scaffold that incorporates TGF-β1 nanoparticles for cartilage tissue engineering. J Biomater Tissue Eng. 2015;5(5):357–63.
Li Y, Liu Y, Guo Q. Silk fibroin hydrogel scaffolds incorporated with chitosan nanoparticles repair articular cartilage defects by regulating TGF-β1 and BMP-2. Arthritis Res Ther. 2021;23(1):1–11.
Rong X, et al. Neuroprotective effect of insulin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles/PLGA-PEG-PLGA hydrogel on diabetic retinopathy in rats. Int J Nanomed. 2019;14:45.
Pan J, et al. Thermosensitive hydrogel delivery of human periodontal stem cells overexpressing platelet-derived growth factor-BB enhances alveolar bone defect repair. Stem cells and development. 2019;28(24):1620–31.
Lamparelli EP, et al. Chondrogenic commitment of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in a perfused collagen hydrogel functionalized with hTGF-β1-releasing PLGA microcarrier. Pharmaceutics. 2021;13(3):399.
Kirby GT, et al. Microparticles for sustained growth factor delivery in the regeneration of critically-sized segmental tibial bone defects. Materials. 2016;9(4):259.
Ghandforoushan P, et al. Novel nanocomposite scaffold based on Gelatin/PLGA-PEG-PLGA hydrogels embedded with TGF-β1 for chondrogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells in vitro. Int J Biol Macromol. 2022.
Hutmacher DW. Scaffolds in tissue engineering bone and cartilage. In: Williams DF, editor. The Biomaterials: Silver Jubilee Compendium. Oxford: Elsevier Science; 2000. p. 175–89.
Lee DH, et al. Enhanced osteogenesis of β-tricalcium phosphate reinforced silk fibroin scaffold for bone tissue biofabrication. Int J Biol Macromol. 2017;95:14–23.
Zijah V, et al. Towards optimization of odonto/osteogenic bioengineering: in vitro comparison of simvastatin, sodium fluoride, melanocyte-stimulating hormone. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology-Animal. 2017;53(6):502–12.
Sun X, et al. Collagen-based porous scaffolds containing PLGA microspheres for controlled kartogenin release in cartilage tissue engineering. Artificial cells, nanomedicine, and biotechnology. 2018;46(8):1957–66.
Valipour F, et al. Novel hybrid polyester-polyacrylate hydrogels enriched with platelet-derived growth factor for chondrogenic differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. J Biol Eng. 2021;15(1):1–14.
Riaz T, et al. FTIR analysis of natural and synthetic collagen. Appl Spectrosc Rev. 2018;53(9):703–46.
Bhardwaj N, et al. Potential of 3-D tissue constructs engineered from bovine chondrocytes/silk fibroin-chitosan for in vitro cartilage tissue engineering. Biomaterials. 2011;32(25):5773–81.
Khajavi M, et al. Fish cartilage: a promising source of biomaterial for biological scaffold fabrication in cartilage tissue engineering. J Biomed Mater Res Part A. 2021.
Song JE, et al. Evaluation of silymarin/duck’s feet-derived collagen/hydroxyapatite sponges for bone tissue regeneration. Mater Sci Eng, C. 2019;97:347–55.
Karageorgiou V, Kaplan D. Porosity of 3D biomaterial scaffolds and osteogenesis. Biomaterials. 2005;26(27):5474–91.
Wang Y-F, et al. Systematic characterization of porosity and mass transport and mechanical properties of porous polyurethane scaffolds. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2017;65:657–64.
Velasco-Rodriguez B, et al. Hybrid methacrylated gelatin and hyaluronic acid hydrogel scaffolds. preparation and systematic characterization for prospective tissue engineering applications. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(13): p. 6758.
Toledo L, et al. Physical nanocomposite hydrogels filled with low concentrations of TiO2 nanoparticles: swelling, networks parameters and cell retention studies. Mater Sci Eng, C. 2018;92:769–78.
Raschip IE, et al. Development of antioxidant and antimicrobial xanthan-based cryogels with tuned porous morphology and controlled swelling features. Int J Biol Macromol. 2020;156:608–20.
Jiang Y, et al. Nanoparticle–hydrogel superstructures for biomedical applications. J Control Release. 2020;324:505–21.
Ren L, et al. Surface modification of bundle-type polyamide fiber nonwoven with collagen to improve its hydrophilicity. J Ind Eng Chem. 2020;89:392–9.
Nandagiri VK, et al. Incorporation of PLGA nanoparticles into porous chitosan–gelatin scaffolds: influence on the physical properties and cell behavior. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2011;4(7):1318–27.
Nistor MT, Vasile C, Chiriac AP. Hybrid collagen-based hydrogels with embedded montmorillonite nanoparticles. Mater Sci Eng, C. 2015;53:212–21.
She Z, et al. Preparation and in vitro degradation of porous three-dimensional silk fibroin/chitosan scaffold. Polym Degrad Stab. 2008;93(7):1316–22.
Rychter P, et al. PLGA–PEG terpolymers as a carriers of bioactive agents, influence of PEG blocks content on degradation and release of herbicides into soil. Polym Degrad Stab. 2019.
Ibrahim TM, El-Megrab NA, El-Nahas HM. An overview of PLGA in-situ forming implants based on solvent exchange technique: effect of formulation components and characterization. Pharm Dev Technol. 2021;26(7):709–28.
Jin S, et al. Recent advances in PLGA-based biomaterials for bone tissue regeneration. Acta Biomater. 2021;127:56–79.
Makadia HK, Siegel SJ. Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) as biodegradable controlled drug delivery carrier. Polymers. 2011;3(3):1377–97.
Houchin M, Topp E. Physical properties of PLGA films during polymer degradation. J Appl Polym Sci. 2009;114(5):2848–54.
Li Y, Rodrigues J, Tomas H. Injectable and biodegradable hydrogels: gelation, biodegradation and biomedical applications. Chem Soc Rev. 2012;41(6):2193–221.
Li Y, et al. Immunosuppressive PLGA TGF-β1 microparticles induce polyclonal and antigen-specific regulatory T cells for local immunomodulation of allogeneic islet transplants. Front Immunol. 2021;12:1484.
Chen L, et al. Growth factor and its polymer scaffold-based delivery system for cartilage tissue engineering. Int J Nanomed. 2020;15:6097.
Lin SJ, et al. Growth factor-loaded microspheres in mPEG-polypeptide hydrogel system for articular cartilage repair. J Biomed Mater Res, Part A. 2021;109(12):2516–26.
Gan S, et al. Nano-hydroxyapatite enhanced double network hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties for potential application in cartilage repair. Carbohydr Polym. 2020;229, p. 115523.
Ma F, et al. In situ fabrication of a composite hydrogel with tunable mechanical properties for cartilage tissue engineering. J Mater Chem B. 2019;7(15):2463–73.
Mallakpour S, Tukhani M, Hussain CM. Recent advancements in 3D bioprinting technology of carboxymethyl cellulose-based hydrogels: utilization in tissue engineering. Adv Colloid Interface Sci. 2021;292, p. 102415.
Khalesi H, et al. New insights into food hydrogels with reinforced mechanical properties: A review on innovative strategies. Adv Colloid Interface Sci. 2020; p. 102278.
Thomas LV, Rahul V, Nair PD. Effect of stiffness of chitosan-hyaluronic acid dialdehyde hydrogels on the viability and growth of encapsulated chondrocytes. Int J Biol Macromol. 2017;104:1925–35.
Uzieliene I, et al. Mechanotransducive biomimetic systems for chondrogenic differentiation in vitro. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(18):9690.
Gao F, et al. Osteochondral regeneration with 3D-printed biodegradable high-strength supramolecular polymer reinforced-gelatin hydrogel scaffolds. Advanced Science. 2019;6(15):1900867.
Liao I-C, et al. Composite Three-dimensional woven scaffolds with interpenetrating network hydrogels to create functional synthetic articular cartilage. Adv Func Mater. 2013;23(47):5833–9.
Mondal D, Willett TL. Mechanical properties of nanocomposite biomaterials improved by extrusion during direct ink writing. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2020;104, p. 103653.
Czepirski L, Balys MR, Komorowska-Czepirska E. Some generalization of Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Internet J Chem. 2000;3(14):1099–8292.
Chi H, et al. 3D-HA scaffold functionalized by extracellular matrix of stem cells promotes bone repair. Int J Nanomed. 2020;15:5825.
Ying J, et al. Transforming growth factor-beta1 promotes articular cartilage repair through canonical Smad and Hippo pathways in bone mesenchymal stem cells. Life Sci. 2018;192:84–90.
Asen A-K, et al. Sustained spatiotemporal release of TGF-β1 confers enhanced very early chondrogenic differentiation during osteochondral repair in specific topographic patterns. FASEB J. 2018;32(10):5298–311.
Velot É, et al. Efficient TGF-β1 delivery to articular chondrocytes in vitro using agro-based liposomes. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(5):2864.
Rey-Rico A, et al. Adapted chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells via controlled release of TGF-β1 from poly (ethylene oxide)–terephtalate/poly (butylene terepthalate) multiblock scaffolds. J Biomed Mater Res, Part A. 2015;103(1):371–83.
Lim SM, et al. Dual growth factor-releasing nanoparticle/hydrogel system for cartilage tissue engineering. J Mater Sci - Mater Med. 2010;21(9):2593–600.
Soysal A, et al. Preparation and characterization of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles containing TGF-beta 1 and evaluation of in vitro wound healing effect. J Res Pharm. 2020;24.
Acknowledgements
This project was fulfilled at the Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz, Iran. The authors would like to thank everybody who assisted us in this regard.
Funding
This investigation was funded by a grant from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, Grant No: 64103.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Parisa Ghandforoushan: conceptualization, methodology, software, investigation, and writing - original; Jalal Hanaee: validation and supervision; Zahra Aghazadeh: methodology, validation, and data curation; Shahin Ahmadian: conceptualization and methodology; Mohammad Samiei: data curation and validation; Amir Mohammad Navali: investigation and writing - reviewing and editing; Ali Khatibi: investigation, software, and data curation; Soodabeh Davaran: conceptualization, methodology, validation, and supervision.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
All authors have been personally and actively involved in substantial work leading to the paper, and will take public responsibility for its content.
Competing interests
The author declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ghandforoushan, P., Hanaee, J., Aghazadeh, Z. et al. Enhancing the function of PLGA-collagen scaffold by incorporating TGF-β1-loaded PLGA-PEG-PLGA nanoparticles for cartilage tissue engineering using human dental pulp stem cells. Drug Deliv. and Transl. Res. 12, 2960–2978 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-022-01161-2
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-022-01161-2