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Updated: Oct 29, 2025
Constructing a Collagen Hydrogel for the Delivery of Stem Cell-loaded Chitosan Microspheres
Published on: June 1, 2012
Silk fibroin/chitosan/TGF-β1-loaded microsphere scaffolds for cartilage reparation
Jin-Mei He1, Peng-Fei Zhu2, Li-Hua Li3
1Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials and Implant Devices, Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
Background:
Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) plays an important role in chondrocyte growth and the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM). Due to the rapid metabolism, controlled release systems for TGF-β1 have attracted increasing interest recently.
Objective:
In this study, a silk fibroin (SF)/chitosan (CS) scaffold incorporated with TGF-β1-loaded microspheres (MSs) was created for cartilage reparation.
Method:
The optimal proportion of the SF/CS composite scaffold was determined by evaluating their micromorphology and the proliferation rate of fibroblasts on the surface. Then, SF/CS/TGF-β1-loaded MS scaffolds were prepared by the adsorption method. TGF-β1 release capacity, degradation patterns, cytocompatibility and in vivo implantation were evaluted.
Results:
The SF/CS/TGF-β1-loaded MS scaffold showed good TGF-β1 release over more than 16 days, which could sequentially stimulate chondrocyte synthetic activity. In vitro cell proliferation experiments showed the SF/CS/TGF-β1-loaded MS scaffold could promote chondrocytes adhesion, growth, proliferation and maintained the cellular morphology. An in vivo study demonstrated that a low inflammatory response was observed in rats and that the materials exhibited good biocompatibility.
Conclusion:
the results indicated that our SF/CS/TGF-β1-loaded MS scaffold constitute a promising therapeutic option for cartilage reparation.
