In vivo outcomes of tissue-engineered osteochondral grafts

Tissue-engineered osteochondral grafts have been synthesized from a variety of materials, with some success at repairing chondral defects in animal models. We hypothesized that in tissue-engineered osteochondral grafts synthesized by bonding mesenchymal stem cell-loaded hydrogels to a porous material, the choice of the porous scaffold would affect graft healing to host bone, and the quality of cell restoration at the hyaline cartilage surface. Bone marrow-derived allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells were suspended in hydrogels that were attached to cylinders of porous tantalum metal, allograft bone, or a bioactive glass. The tissue-engineered osteochondral grafts, thus created were implanted into experimental defects in rabbit knees. Subchondral bone restoration, defect fill, bone ingrowth-implant integration, and articular tissue quality were compared between the three subchondral materials at 6 and 12 weeks. Bioactive glass and porous tantalum were superior to bone allograft in integrating to adjacent host bone, regenerating hyaline-like tissue at the graft surface, and expressing type II collagen in the articular cartilage.