Tissue-engineered Cartilage (tissue-engineered + cartilage)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Does low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulate maturation of tissue-engineered cartilage?

JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 1 2004
Georg N. Duda
Abstract Traumatic events are a primary cause of local lesions of articular cartilage. Tissue engineered, cartilage-like structures represent an alternative to current treatment methods. The time necessary for tissue maturation and the mechanical quality of the regenerate at implantation are both critical factors for clinical success. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound has proven to accelerate chondrogenesis in vitro. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether low-intensity pulsed ultrasound is capable of accelerating the process of cartilage maturation and increasing regenerate stability. Hyaline-like cartilage specimens were generated in vitro and subcutaneously implanted in the backs of nude mice. Twenty-eight animals received 20 min of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound treatment daily, and 28 animals received a sham treatment. Specimens were explanted after 1, 3, 6, and 12 weeks, mechanically tested with the use of an indentation test, histologically examined, and processed for RT-PCR. The Young's moduli significantly increased from 3 to 12 weeks, and at 6 weeks were comparable to those of native articular cartilage. In histological examination, specimens showed neocartilage formation. There was no significant difference between ultrasound-treated and sham-treated groups. The mechanical stability of the neocartilage specimens increased with treatment time and reached values of native cartilage after 6 weeks in vivo. Low-intensity pulsed-ultrasound stimulation showed no stimulatory effect on tissue maturation. In contrast, ultrasound-treated specimens showed a reduced Col 2 expression at 1 week and were significantly less stiff compared to native cartilage at 6 and 12 weeks. An acceleration of the maturation of tissue-engineered neocartilage in a clinical setting by means of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound therefore appears rather unrealistic. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 68B: 21,28, 2004 [source]


Characterization of cartilagenous tissue formed on calcium polyphosphate substrates in vitro

JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 3 2002
Stephen D. Waldman
Abstract Successful joint resurfacing by tissue-engineered cartilage has been limited, in part, by an inability to secure the implant to bone. To overcome this, we have developed the methodology to form a cartilage implant in vitro consisting of a layer of cartilagenous tissue overlying a porous, biodegradable calcium polyphosphate (CPP) substrate. As bone will grow into the CPP after implantation, it will result in anchorage of the cartilage. In this study, the cartilagenous tissue formed in vitro after 8 weeks in culture was characterized and compared to native articular cartilage. Light microscopic examination of histological sections showed that there was a continuous layer of cartilagenous tissue on, and integrated with the subsurface of, the CPP substrate. The in vitro -formed tissue achieved a similar thickness to native articular cartilage (mean ± SEM: in vitro = 0.94 ± 0.03 mm; ex vivo = 1.03 ± 0.01 mm). The cells in the in vitro -formed tissue synthesized large proteoglycans (Kav ± SEM: in vitro = 0.27 ± 0.01; ex vivo = 0.27 ± 0.01) and type II collagen similar to the chondrocytes in the ex-vivo cartilage. The in vitro -formed tissue had a similar amount of proteoglycan (GAG ,g/mg dry wt.: in vitro = 198 ± 10; ex vivo = 201 ± 13) but less collagen than the native cartilage (hydroxyproline ,g/mg dry wt.: in vitro = 21 ± 1; ex vivo = 70 ± 8). The in vitro -formed tissue had only about 3% of the load-bearing capacity and stiffness of the native articular cartilage, determined from unconfined mechanical compression testing. Although low, this was within the range of properties reported by others for tissue-engineered cartilage. It is possible that the limited load-bearing capacity is the result of the low collagen content and further studies are required to identify the conditions that will increase collagen synthesis. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 62:323,330, 2002 [source]


Design and assessment of a tissue-engineered model of human phalanges and a small joint

ORTHODONTICS & CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005
WJ Landis
Structured Abstract Authors ,, Landis WJ, Jacquet R, Hillyer J, Lowder E, Yanke A, Siperko L, Asamura S, Kusuhara H, Enjo M, Chubinskaya S, Potter K, Isogai N. Objectives ,, To develop models of human phalanges and small joints by suturing different cell-polymer constructs that are then implanted in athymic (nude) mice. Design ,, Models consisted of bovine periosteum, cartilage, and/or tendon cells seeded onto biodegradable polymer scaffolds of either polyglycolic acid (PGA) or copolymers of PGA and poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) or poly- , -caprolactone (PCL) and PLLA. Constructs were fabricated to produce a distal phalanx, middle phalanx, or distal interphalangeal joint. Setting and Sample Population ,, Studies of more than 250 harvested implants were conducted at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Experimental Variable ,, Polymer scaffold, cell type, and implantation time were examined. Outcome Measure ,, Tissue-engineered specimens were characterized by histology, transmission electron microscopy, in situ hybridization, laser capture microdissection and qualitative and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, magnetic resonance microscopy, and X-ray microtomography. Results ,, Over periods to 60 weeks of implantation, constructs developed through vascularity from host mice; formed new cartilage, bone, and/or tendon; expressed characteristic genes of bovine origin, including type I, II and X collagen, osteopontin, aggrecan, biglycan, and bone sialoprotein; secreted corresponding proteins; responded to applied mechanical stimuli; and maintained shapes of human phalanges with small joints. Conclusion ,, Results give insight into construct processes of tissue regeneration and development and suggest more complete tissue-engineered cartilage, bone, and tendon models. These should have significant future scientific and clinical applications in medicine, including their use in plastic surgery, orthopaedics, craniofacial reconstruction, and teratology. [source]


Inhibition of cartilage degradation: A combined tissue engineering and gene therapy approach

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 3 2003
Wael Kafienah
Objective To determine if tissue-engineered cartilage can be protected from cytokine-induced degradation using a gene therapy approach. Methods Chemical and pantropic retroviral gene transfer methodologies were compared for their ability to introduce a luciferase reporter gene into adult bovine cartilage chondrocytes grown in monolayer. Pantropic retrovirus was then used to transduce these cells with human tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1), and the stability of expression in monolayer or pellet culture was monitored for 6 weeks. Untransduced and TIMP-1,transduced cells were also used to tissue engineer 3-dimensional cartilage constructs that were then challenged with interleukin-1 (IL-1) for 4 weeks. Conditioned media and residual cartilage were collected for analysis of matrix components, including type II collagen and proteoglycans, and for TIMP-1 production and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. Results Chemical transfection of adult bovine chondrocytes gave rise to short-lived reporter expression that was virtually undetectable after 4 weeks of culture. In contrast, pantropic retroviral transduction gave rise to stable expression that persisted at a high level for at least 6 weeks. Pantropic transduction of the cells with TIMP-1 gave rise to similar long-term expression, both in monolayer and pellet cultures. TIMP-1,transduced tissue-engineered cartilage also retained TIMP-1 expression for an additional 4 weeks of culture in the presence of IL-1. Compared with control samples, TIMP-1,transgenic cartilage resisted the catabolic effects of IL-1, with MMP activity reduced to basal levels and a decreased loss of type II collagen. Conclusion Pantropic retroviral transduction permits long-term expression of potentially therapeutic transgenes in adult tissue-engineered cartilage. While TIMP-1 transduction could be used to prevent collagen breakdown, alternative transgenes may be necessary to protect cartilage proteoglycans. [source]


Flow characterization of a wavy-walled bioreactor for cartilage tissue engineering

BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 6 2006
Bahar Bilgen
Abstract Cartilage tissue engineering requires the use of bioreactors in order to enhance nutrient transport and to provide sufficient mechanical stimuli to promote extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis by chondrocytes. The amount and quality of ECM components is a large determinant of the biochemical and mechanical properties of engineered cartilage constructs. Mechanical forces created by the hydrodynamic environment within the bioreactors are known to influence ECM synthesis. The present study characterizes the hydrodynamic environment within a novel wavy-walled bioreactor (WWB) used for the development of tissue-engineered cartilage. The geometry of this bioreactor provides a unique hydrodynamic environment for mammalian cell and tissue culture, and investigation of hydrodynamic effects on tissue growth and function. The flow field within the WWB was characterized using two-dimensional particle-image velocimetry (PIV). The flow in the WWB differed significantly from that in the traditional spinner flask both qualitatively and quantitatively, and was influenced by the positioning of constructs within the bioreactor. Measurements of velocity fields were used to estimate the mean-shear stress, Reynolds stress, and turbulent kinetic energy components in the vicinity of the constructs within the WWB. The mean-shear stress experienced by the tissue-engineered constructs in the WWB calculated using PIV measurements was in the range of 0,0.6 dynes/cm2. Quantification of the shear stress experienced by cartilage constructs, in this case through PIV, is essential for the development of tissue-growth models relating hydrodynamic parameters to tissue properties. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


The effect of continuous culture on the growth and structure of tissue-engineered cartilage

BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2009
Aasma A. Khan
Abstract The use of bioreactors for cartilage tissue engineering has become increasingly important as traditional batch-fed culture is not optimal for in vitro tissue growth. Most tissue engineering bioreactors rely on convection as the primary means to provide mass transfer; however, convective transport can also impart potentially unwanted and/or uncontrollable mechanical stimuli to the cells resident in the construct. The reliance on diffusive transport may not necessarily be ineffectual as previous studies have observed improved cartilaginous tissue growth when the constructs were cultured in elevated volumes of media. In this study, to approximate an infinite reservoir of media, we investigated the effect of continuous culture on cartilaginous tissue growth in vitro. Isolated bovine articular chondrocytes were seeded in high density, 3D culture on MillicellÔ filters. After two weeks of preculture, the constructs were cultivated with or without continuous media flow (5,10 ,L/min) for a period of one week. Tissue engineered cartilage constructs grown under continuous media flow significantly accumulated more collagen and proteoglycans (increased by 50,70%). These changes were similar in magnitude to the reported effect of through-thickness perfusion without the need for large volumetric flow rates (5,10,L/min as opposed to 240,800 ,L/min). Additionally, tissues grown in the reactor displayed some evidence of the stratified morphology of native cartilage as well as containing stores of intracellular glycogen. Future studies will investigate the effect of long-term continuous culture in terms of extracellular matrix accumulation and subsequent changes in mechanical function. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009 [source]