The Fabrication of Human Amniotic Membrane Based Hydrogel for Cartilage Tissue Engineering Applications: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Abundant and easily obtained, the human amniotic membrane can be an important source for material in tissue engineering applications. This study aims at the production of a new 3D scaffold synthesized from known biodegradable and biocompatible materials, namely the human amniotic membrane and fibrin. Previously, several studies have been conducted using human amniotic membranes and fibrin, separately as scaffolds but none have been done in combination and in 3D form. This newly developed 3D scaffold is further investigated and evaluated with bovine chondrocytes cultured and grown on the 3D scaffold. These constructs were then used in several tests which include H&E and Safranin-O staining, in vitro biodegradation tests and quantitative evaluation of total DNA and glycosaminoglycans contents. The tests were evaluated at 7 and 14 days. The current results indicate good biodegradation characteristics and that this new scaffold can support chondrocytes proliferation in 3D form. This confirms the suitability of this new scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering applications.