Issue 41, 2021

Heterogenous hydrogel mimicking the osteochondral ECM applied to tissue regeneration

Abstract

Inspired by the intricate extracellular matrix (ECM) of natural cartilage and subchondral bone, a heterogenous bilayer hydrogel scaffold is fabricated. Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and acryloyl glucosamine (AGA) serve as the main components in the upper layer, mimicking the chondral ECM. Meanwhile, vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) as a non-collagen protein analogue is incorporated into the bottom layer to induce the in situ biomineralization of calcium phosphate. The two heterogenous layers are effectively sutured together by the inter-diffusion between the upper and bottom layer hydrogels, together with chelation between the calcium ions and alginate added to separate layers. The interfacial bonding between the two different layers was thoroughly investigated via rheological measurements. The incorporation of AGA promotes chondrocytes to produce collagen type II and glycosaminoglycans and upregulates the expression of chondrogenesis-related genes. In addition, the minerals induced by VPA facilitate the osteogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). In vivo evaluation confirms the biocompatibility of the scaffold with minor inflammation and confirms the best repair ability of the bilayer hydrogel. This cell-free, cost-effective and efficient hydrogel shows great potential for osteochondral repair and inspires the design of other tissue-engineering scaffolds.

Graphical abstract: Heterogenous hydrogel mimicking the osteochondral ECM applied to tissue regeneration

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 mar 2021
Accepted
09 sep 2021
First published
10 sep 2021

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2021,9, 8646-8658

Heterogenous hydrogel mimicking the osteochondral ECM applied to tissue regeneration

Z. Chen, H. Xiao, H. Zhang, Q. Xin, H. Zhang, H. Liu, M. Wu, L. Zuo, J. Luo, Q. Guo, C. Ding, H. Tan and J. Li, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2021, 9, 8646 DOI: 10.1039/D1TB00518A

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