Issue 40, 2015

Biomimetic microbeads containing a chondroitin sulfate/chitosan polyelectrolyte complex for cell-based cartilage therapy

Abstract

Articular cartilage has a limited healing capacity that complicates the treatment of joint injuries and osteoarthritis. Newer repair strategies have focused on the use of cells and biomaterials to promote cartilage regeneration. In the present study, we developed and characterized bioinspired materials designed to mimic the composition of the cartilage extracellular matrix. Chondroitin sulfate (CS) and chitosan (CH) were used to form physically cross-linked macromolecular polyelectrolyte complexes (PEC) without the use of additional crosslinkers. A single-step water-in-oil emulsification process was used to either directly embed mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in PEC particles created with various concentrations of CS and CH, or to co-embed MSC with PEC in agarose-based microbeads. Direct embedding of MSC in PEC resulted in high cell viability but irregular and large particles. Co-embedding of PEC particles with MSC in agarose (Ag) resulted in uniform microbeads 80–90 μm in diameter that maintained high cell viability over three weeks in culture. Increased serum content resulted in more uniform PEC distribution within the microbead matrix, and both high and low CS : CH ratios resulted in more homogeneous microbeads than 1 : 1 formulations. Under chondrogenic conditions, expression of sulfated GAG and collagen type II was increased in 10 : 1 CS : CH PEC–Ag microbeads compared to pure Ag beads, indicating a chondrogenic influence of the PEC component. Such PEC–Ag microbeads may have utility in the directed differentiation and delivery of progenitor cell populations for cartilage repair.

Graphical abstract: Biomimetic microbeads containing a chondroitin sulfate/chitosan polyelectrolyte complex for cell-based cartilage therapy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 ሜይ 2015
Accepted
16 ጁላይ 2015
First published
24 ጁላይ 2015

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015,3, 7920-7929

Author version available

Biomimetic microbeads containing a chondroitin sulfate/chitosan polyelectrolyte complex for cell-based cartilage therapy

E. L. H. Daley, R. M. Coleman and J. P. Stegemann, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015, 3, 7920 DOI: 10.1039/C5TB00934K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements