Regeneration of ovine articular cartilage defects by cell-free polymer-based implants

• Published in: Biomaterials Vol. 28; no. 36; pp. 5570 - 5580
• Main Authors: Erggelet, Christoph, Neumann, Katja, Endres, Michaela, Haberstroh, Kathrin, Sittinger, Michael, Kaps, Christian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2007
• Subjects: Advanced Basic Science; Animals; Arthroplasty, Subchondral; Cartilage regeneration; Cartilage, Articular - drug effects; Cartilage, Articular - injuries; Cartilage, Articular - pathology; Cartilage, Articular - surgery; Cell Movement; Cell-free implant; Cell-Free System; Cells, Cultured; Chemotaxis; Dentistry; Extracellular Matrix - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Humans; Hyaluronic Acid - pharmacology; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells - cytology; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells - drug effects; Microfracture; Polymers - chemistry; Polymers - pharmacology; Prostheses and Implants; Regeneration - drug effects; Serum; Sheep; Stem cells; Cartilage regeneration; Microfracture; Cell-free implant; Chemotaxis; Stem cells
• ISSN: 0142-9612; 1878-5905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2007.09.005

Abstract The aim of our study was the evaluation of a cell-free cartilage implant that allows the recruitment of mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells by chemo-attractants and subsequent guidance of the progenitors to form cartilage repair tissue after microfracture. Chemotactic activity of human serum on human mesenchymal progenitors was tested in 96-well chemotaxis assays and chondrogenic differentiation was assessed by gene expression profiling after stimulating progenitors with hyaluronan in high-density cultures. Autologous serum and hyaluronan were combined with polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds and were implanted into full-thickness articular cartilage defects of the sheep pre-treated with microfracture. Defects treated with microfracture served as controls. Human serum was a potent chemo-attractant and efficiently recruited mesenchymal progenitors. Chondrogenic differentiation of progenitors upon stimulation with hyaluronan was shown by the induction of typical chondrogenic marker genes like type II collagen and aggrecan. Three months after implantation of the cell-free implant, histological analysis documented the formation of a cartilaginous repair tissue. Controls treated with microfracture showed no formation of repair tissue. The cell-free cartilage implant consisting of autologous serum, hyaluronan and PGA utilizes the migration and differentiation potential of mesenchymal progenitors for cartilage regeneration and is well suited for the treatment of cartilage defects after microfracture.