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Evaluation of Cartilage Repair by Mesenchymal Stem Cells Seeded on a PEOT/PBT Scaffold in an Osteochondral Defect

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Abstract

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-seeded polyethylene-oxide-terephthalate/polybutylene-terephthalate (PEOT/PBT) scaffold for cartilage tissue repair in an osteochondral defect using a rabbit model. Material characterisation using scanning electron microscopy indicated that the scaffold had a 3D architecture characteristic of the additive manufacturing fabrication method, with a strut diameter of 296 ± 52 μm and a pore size of 512 ± 22 μm × 476 ± 25 μm × 180 ± 30 μm. In vitro optimisation revealed that the scaffold did not generate an adverse cell response, optimal cell loading conditions were achieved using 50 μg/ml fibronectin and a cell seeding density of 25 × 106 cells/ml and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) accumulation after 28 days culture in the presence of TGFβ3 indicated positive chondrogenesis. Cell-seeded scaffolds were implanted in osteochondral defects for 12 weeks, with cell-free scaffolds and empty defects employed as controls. On examination of toluidine blue staining for chondrogenesis and GAG accumulation, both the empty defect and the cell-seeded scaffold appeared to promote repair. However, the empty defect and the cell-free scaffold stained positive for collagen type I or fibrocartilage, while the cell-seeded scaffold stained positive for collagen type II indicative of hyaline cartilage and was statistically better than the cell-free scaffold in the blinded histological evaluation. In summary, MSCs in combination with a 3D PEOT/PBT scaffold created a reparative environment for cartilage repair.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Strategic Research Cluster (SRC), Grant No. SFI: 09/SRC B1794, Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scholarships Grant Number WTD004448, the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme under Grant Agreement No. HEALTH-2007-B-223298 (PurStem).

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Author notes

  1. V. Barron

    Present address: Materials Research Institute, Athlone Institute of Technology, Co, Westmeath, Ireland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Regenerative Medicine Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland

    V. Barron, K. Merghani, G. Shaw, C. M. Coleman, J. S. Hayes, S. Ansboro, A. Manian, G. O’Malley, E. Connolly, J. M. Murphy & F. Barry

  2. Discipline of Surgery, Clinical Science Institute, Galway University Hospital, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland

    F. Shannon

  3. Department of Tissue Regeneration, Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine (MIRA), University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    A. Nandakumar, C. A. van Blitterswijk, P. Habibovic & L. Moroni

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Correspondence to J. M. Murphy.

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Associate Editor Kent Leach oversaw the review of this article.

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Barron, V., Merghani, K., Shaw, G. et al. Evaluation of Cartilage Repair by Mesenchymal Stem Cells Seeded on a PEOT/PBT Scaffold in an Osteochondral Defect. Ann Biomed Eng 43, 2069–2082 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-015-1246-2

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