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Updated: Apr 10, 2026
Fabrication of Decellularized Cartilage-derived Matrix Scaffolds
Published on: January 7, 2019
Multipotent Stromal Cells Outperform Chondrocytes on Cartilage-Derived Matrix Scaffolds
K E M Benders1, W Boot1, S M Cokelaere2
1Department of Orthopedics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Objective:
Although extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived scaffolds have been extensively studied and applied in a number of clinical applications, the use of ECM as a biomaterial for (osteo)chondral regeneration is less extensively explored. This study aimed at evaluating the chondrogenic potential of cells seeded on cartilage-derived matrix (CDM) scaffolds in vitro.
Design:
Scaffolds were generated from decellularized equine articular cartilage and seeded with either chondrocytes or multipotent stromal cells (MSCs). After 2, 4, and 6 weeks of in vitro culture, CDM constructs were analyzed both histologically (hematoxylin and eosin, Safranin-O, collagen types I and II) and biochemically (glycosaminoglycan [GAG] and DNA content).
Results:
After 4 weeks, both cell types demonstrated chondrogenic differentiation; however, the MSCs significantly outperformed chondrocytes in producing new GAG-containing cartilaginous matrix.
Conclusion:
These promising in vitro results underscore the potency of CDM scaffolds in (osteo)chondral defect repair.
