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Updated: May 20, 2026
3D Hydrogel Scaffolds for Articular Chondrocyte Culture and Cartilage Generation
Published on: October 7, 2015
Hydrophilic gelatin and hyaluronic acid-treated PLGA scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering
Nai-Jen Chang1, Yi-Ru Jhung, Chih-Kai Yao
1Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City - Taiwan.
Unlabelled:
Tissue engineering provides a new strategy for repairing damaged cartilage. Surface and mechanical properties of scaffolds play important roles in inducing cell growth.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to fabricate and characterize PLGA and gelatin/hyaluronic acid-treated PLGA (PLGA-GH) sponge scaffolds for articular cartilage tissue engineering.
Methods:
The PLGA-GH scaffolds were cross-linked with gelatin and hyaluronic acid. Primary chondrocytes isolated from porcine articular cartilages were used to assess cell compatibility. The characteristic PLGA-GH scaffold was higher in water uptake ratio and degradation rate within 42 days than the PLGA scaffold.
Results:
The mean compressive moduli of PLGA and PLGA-GH scaffolds were 1.72 ± 0.50 MPa and 1.86 ± 0.90 MPa, respectively. The cell attachment ratio, proliferation, and extracellular matrix secretion on PLGA-GH scaffolds are superior to those of PLGA scaffolds.
Conclusions:
In our study, PLGA-GH scaffolds exhibited improvements in cell biocompatibility, cell proliferation, extracellular matrix synthesis, and appropriate mechanical and structural properties for potential engineering cartilage applications.
