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Tissue Engineering: Construction of a Multicellular 3D Scaffold for the Delivery of Layered Cell Sheets
Published on: October 3, 2014
A biodegradable composite scaffold for cell transplantation
G A Ameer1, T A Mahmood, R Langer
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA. gameer@mit.edu
Summary
A new biodegradable composite system rapidly entraps cells in a fibrin gel and polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh for easier cell transplantation. This scaffold supports chondrocyte growth, mimicking native cartilage extracellular matrix for potential therapeutic applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Cell transplantation is a promising therapeutic strategy for disease and injury.
- Current cell seeding techniques face limitations for immediate surgical use.
- A novel method is needed for rapid cell entrapment and delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a biodegradable composite system for rapid cell entrapment and delivery.
- To evaluate the suitability of the composite for chondrocyte culture and tissue regeneration.
- To assess the influence of fibrin gel degradation on scaffold properties.
Main Methods:
- A composite scaffold was created using pig chondrocytes, fibrin gel, and a polyglycolic acid (PGA) non-woven mesh.
- Composites were cultured for up to 4 weeks.
- In vitro degradation of fibrin gel was controlled using urokinase.
Main Results:
- Composite scaffolds showed significantly higher glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content per cell compared to PGA-only constructs, reaching 88% of native cartilage levels.
- Total collagen content per cell was comparable to PGA-only constructs and reached 40% of native cartilage.
- Controlled degradation of the fibrin gel was achieved by adjusting urokinase concentration.
Conclusions:
- The developed composite system effectively entraps chondrocytes and supports their proliferation and matrix production.
- This scaffold shows potential for facilitating cell delivery and regeneration in avascular tissues like meniscal tears.
- Controlled fibrin degradation offers a tunable parameter for optimizing the composite scaffold's performance.
