Cartilage production by rabbit articular chondrocytes on polyglycolic acid scaffolds in a closed bioreactor system

Rabbit articular chondrocytes were seeded onto three‐dimensional polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds and placed into a closed bioreactor system. After 4 weeks of growth, meshes were examined for cartilage formation. Gross examination revealed solid, glistening material that had the appearance of cartilaginous tissue. Histologic examination revealed cell growth and deposition of extracellular matrix throughout the mesh with a less dense central core. Alcian blue and Safranin 0 staining showed deposition of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Immunostaining showed positive reactivity for type II collagen and chondroitin sulfate and no reactivity for type I collagen. Biochemical analysis showed collagen and GAG values to be 15% and 25% dry weight, respectively. Our results indicate that this type of system compares well with those previously described and should be useful for producing cartilage for evaluation in a clinical setting. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

[1]  T. Skoog,et al.  Perichondrial potential for cartilagenous regeneration. , 1972, Scandinavian journal of plastic and reconstructive surgery.

[2]  R Langer,et al.  Joint resurfacing using allograft chondrocytes and synthetic biodegradable polymer scaffolds. , 1994, Journal of biomedical materials research.

[3]  R. Salter,et al.  The biological effect of continuous passive motion on the healing of full-thickness defects in articular cartilage. An experimental investigation in the rabbit. , 1980, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[4]  R Langer,et al.  Tissue engineering by cell transplantation using degradable polymer substrates. , 1991, Journal of biomechanical engineering.

[5]  O. Engkvist,et al.  Formation of cartilage from rib perichondrium grafted to an articular defect in the femur condyle of the rabbit. , 1979, Scandinavian journal of plastic and reconstructive surgery.

[6]  Charles A. Vacanti,et al.  Tissue Engineered Growth of New Cartilage in the Shape of a Human Ear Using Synthetic Polymers Seeded with Chondrocytes , 1991 .

[7]  G. Lust,et al.  Temporal matrix synthesis and histologic features of a chondrocyte-laden porous collagen cartilage analogue. , 1993, American journal of veterinary research.

[8]  D. Buttle,et al.  Improved quantitation and discrimination of sulphated glycosaminoglycans by use of dimethylmethylene blue. , 1986, Biochimica et biophysica acta.

[9]  U. K. Laemmli,et al.  Cleavage of Structural Proteins during the Assembly of the Head of Bacteriophage T4 , 1970, Nature.

[10]  W. N. Burnette,et al.  "Western blotting": electrophoretic transfer of proteins from sodium dodecyl sulfate--polyacrylamide gels to unmodified nitrocellulose and radiographic detection with antibody and radioiodinated protein A. , 1981, Analytical biochemistry.

[11]  Joseph M. Mansour,et al.  Mesenchymal Cell-Based Repair of Large Full Thickness Defects of Articular Cartilage , 1994 .

[12]  J. Vacanti,et al.  Tissue-engineered growth of bone and cartilage. , 1993, Transplantation proceedings.

[13]  J. F. Woessner,et al.  The determination of hydroxyproline in tissue and protein samples containing small proportions of this imino acid. , 1961, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[14]  W M Lai,et al.  Fluid transport and mechanical properties of articular cartilage: a review. , 1984, Journal of biomechanics.

[15]  G. Vunjak‐Novakovic,et al.  Composition of cell‐polymer cartilage implants , 1994, Biotechnology and bioengineering.