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Chondrogenesis and Integration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Within an In Vitro Cartilage Defect Repair Model

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Abstract

Integration of repair tissue is a key indicator of the long-term success of cell-based therapies for cartilage repair. The objective of this study was to compare the in vitro chondrogenic differentiation and integration of agarose hydrogels seeded with either chondrocytes or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in defects created in cartilage explants. Chondrocytes and MSCs were isolated from porcine donors, suspended in 2% agarose and then injected into cylindrical defects within the explants. These constructs were maintained in a chemically defined medium supplemented with 10 ng/mL of TGF-β3. Cartilage integration was assessed by histology and mechanical push-out tests. After 6 weeks in culture, chondrocyte-seeded constructs demonstrated a higher integration strength (64.4 ± 8.3 kPa) compared to MSC-seeded constructs (22.7 ± 5.9 kPa). Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) (1.27 ± 0.3 vs. 0.19 ± 0.03 kPa) and collagen (0.31 ± 0.08 vs. 0.09 ± 0.01 kPa) accumulation in chondrocyte-seeded constructs was greater than that measured in the MSC-seeded group. The GAG, collagen, and DNA content of both chondrocyte- and MSC-seeded hydrogels cultured in cartilage explants was significantly lower than control constructs cultured in free swelling conditions. The results of this study suggest that the explant model may constitute a more rigorous in vitro test to assess MSC therapies for cartilage defect repair.

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Acknowledgment

Funding was provided by Science Foundation Ireland (President of Ireland Young Researcher Award—08/YI5/B1336).

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  1. Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland

    T. Vinardell, S. D. Thorpe, C. T. Buckley & D. J. Kelly

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Vinardell, T., Thorpe, S.D., Buckley, C.T. et al. Chondrogenesis and Integration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Within an In Vitro Cartilage Defect Repair Model. Ann Biomed Eng 37, 2556–2565 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-009-9791-1

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