Tissue Eng Regen Med.  2016 Oct;13(5):538-546. 10.1007/s13770-016-0059-1.

Alginate-Hyaluronic Acid-Collagen Composite Hydrogel Favorable for the Culture of Chondrocytes and Their Phenotype Maintenance

Affiliations
  • 1Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering (ITREN), Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea. kimhw@dku.edu
  • 2Department of Nanobiomedical Science & BK21 PLUS NBM Global Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea.
  • 3Department of Biomaterials Science, School of Dentistry, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea.

Abstract

Articular cartilage has limited regeneration capacity, thus significant challenge has been made to restore the functions. The development of hydrogels that can encapsulate and multiply cells, and then effectively maintain the chondrocyte phenotype is a meaningful strategy to this cartilage repair. In this study, we prepared alginate-hyaluronic acid based hydrogel with type I collagen being incorporated, namely Alg-HA-Col composite hydrogel. The incorporation of Col enhanced the chemical interaction of molecules, and the thermal stability and dynamic mechanical properties of the resultant hydrogels. The primary chondrocytes isolated from rat cartilage were cultured within the composite hydrogel and the cell viability recorded revealed active proliferation over a period of 21 days. The mRNA levels of chondrocyte phenotypes, including SOX9, collagen type II, and aggrecan, were significantly up-regulated when the cells were cultured within the Alg-HA-Col gel than those cultured within the Alg-HA. Furthermore, the secretion of sulphated glycosaminoglycan, a cartilage-specific matrix molecule, was recorded higher in the collagen-added composite hydrogel. Although more in-depth studies are required such as the in vivo functions, the currently-prepared Alg-HA-Col composite hydrogel is considered to provide favorable 3-dimensional matrix conditions for the cultivation of chondrocytes. Moreover, the cell-cultured constructs may be useful for the cartilage repair and tissue engineering.

Keyword

Chondrocytes; Alginate; Hyaluronic acid; Collagen type I; Cartilage regeneration

MeSH Terms

Aggrecans
Animals
Cartilage
Cartilage, Articular
Cell Survival
Chondrocytes*
Collagen Type I
Collagen Type II
Hyaluronic Acid
Hydrogel*
Hydrogels
Phenotype*
Rats
Regeneration
RNA, Messenger
Tissue Engineering
Aggrecans
Collagen Type I
Collagen Type II
Hyaluronic Acid
Hydrogel
Hydrogels
RNA, Messenger
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