Stem Cell Biology, Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering Departments, Stem Cell Technology Research Center, Tehran, Iran.
J Biomed Mater Res A. 2011 Dec 1;99(3):467-78. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.33206. Epub 2011 Sep 1.
Application of biomaterials in combination with stem cells is a novel tissue engineering approach to regenerate cartilage. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of poly(vinyl alcohol)/polycaprolactone (PVA/PCL) nanofiber scaffolds seeded with rabbit bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) for cartilage tissue engineering in vitro and in vivo. We tested the biocompatibility and mechanical properties of nanofibrous scaffolds using scanning electron microscope, MTT assay, and tensile measurements. The capacity of MSC for chondrogenic differentiation on scaffolds was examined using reverse transcription-polymer chain reaction and immunostaining. For in vivo assessments, PVA/PCL nanofiber scaffolds with or without MSC were implanted into rabbit full-thickness cartilage defects. To evaluate cartilage regeneration, semi-quantitative grading and histological analysis were performed. Our results showed that PVA/PCL scaffolds supported the proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of MSC in vitro. Moreover, the animals treated with cell-seeded PVA/PCL scaffolds showed improved healing of defects compared with untreated control and those which received cell-free scaffolds. Our findings suggest that PVA/PCL scaffolds incorporated with MSC can serve as a suitable graft for articular cartilage reconstruction.
生物材料与干细胞联合应用是一种再生软骨的新型组织工程方法。本研究旨在探讨体外和体内兔骨髓间充质干细胞（BM-MSC）接种于聚（乙烯醇）/聚己内酯（PVA/PCL）纳米纤维支架在软骨组织工程中的应用潜力。我们使用扫描电子显微镜、MTT 检测和拉伸测量来测试纳米纤维支架的生物相容性和机械性能。使用逆转录-聚合酶链反应和免疫染色来检测 MSC 在支架上向软骨分化的能力。对于体内评估，将 PVA/PCL 纳米纤维支架与 MSC 或不与 MSC 一起植入兔全层软骨缺损。为了评估软骨再生，进行了半定量分级和组织学分析。我们的结果表明，PVA/PCL 支架支持 MSC 的增殖和软骨分化。此外，与未处理对照和接受无细胞支架的动物相比，用细胞接种的 PVA/PCL 支架处理的动物的缺损愈合得到改善。我们的研究结果表明，与 MSC 结合的 PVA/PCL 支架可用作关节软骨重建的合适移植物。
