Electrospun cartilage-derived matrix scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Cartilage-derived matrix (CDM) shows chondroinductive potential but lacks nanoscale architectural control in macroscale scaffolds.
• Electrospun scaffolds offer promise for cartilage tissue engineering but often have small pores, hindering cell infiltration.
• Techniques like multilayering or sacrificial fibers are needed to improve cell migration in nanofibrous materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare multilayer versus single-layer electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering.
• To assess the impact of incorporating CDM into PCL fibers on chondrogenesis by human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs).

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of single-layer and multilayer electrospun PCL scaffolds, with and without CDM.
• Seeding scaffolds with hASCs and culturing for 28 days.
• Evaluation of cell infiltration, sulfated glycosaminoglycan synthesis, and gene expression (COL10A1, ACAN).
• Measurement of scaffold elastic modulus.

Main Results:

• Incorporation of CDM into PCL scaffolds stimulated sulfated glycosaminoglycan synthesis and COL10A1 gene expression in hASCs.
• Multilayer scaffolds significantly enhanced cell infiltration and ACAN gene expression compared to single-layer scaffolds.
• Multilayer PCL scaffolds exhibited a lower elastic modulus than single-layer scaffolds; PCL-CDM scaffolds had a drastically reduced elastic modulus.

Conclusions:

• Multilayer electrospun constructs facilitate homogeneous cell seeding, crucial for effective tissue engineering.
• The inclusion of CDM in electrospun scaffolds stimulates chondrogenesis-related bioactivity in hASCs.
• Combining multilayer architecture with CDM shows potential for advancing cartilage tissue engineering strategies.