Biphasic, but monolithic scaffolds for the therapy of osteochondral defects

Abstract For the regenerative therapy of osteochondral defects – deep lesions of the articular cartilage in which the underlying bone tissue is already affected too – special implant materials and scaffolds are needed. In this study, two new approaches will be presented, leading to biphasic, but monolithic scaffold materials. Both consist of a mineralised layer for filling of the bony part of the defect and a non-mineralised one for the chondral part. Due to the preparation methods, both layers are fused together to give a unified whole without need of any artificial joining. The resulting materials, either based on collagen, hyaluronic acid and hydroxyapatite or calcium alginate gels and hydroxyapatite, seem to be suitable scaffolds for cultivating chondrocytes and osteoblasts – and therefore can act as matrices for tissue engineering of osteochondral grafts.