Zhao Ming, Chen Zhu, Liu Kang, Wan Yu-qing, Li Xu-dong, Luo Xu-wei, Bai Yi-guang, Yang Ze-long, Feng Gang
Institute of Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Nanchong Central Hospital and the Second Clinical Institute of North Sichuan Medical University, Nanchong 637000, China.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Pixian People Hospital, Pixian 611730, China.
J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2015 Nov;16(11):914-23. doi: 10.1631/jzus.B1500036.
In our previous work, we prepared a type of chitosan hydrogel with excellent biocompatibility. In this study, tissue-engineered cartilage constructed with this chitosan hydrogel and costal chondrocytes was used to repair the articular cartilage defects.
Chitosan hydrogels were prepared with a crosslinker formed by combining 1,6-diisocyanatohexane and polyethylene glycol. Chitosan hydrogel scaffold was seeded with rabbit chondrocytes that had been cultured for one week in vitro to form the preliminary tissue-engineered cartilage. This preliminary tissue-engineered cartilage was then transplanted into the defective rabbit articular cartilage. There were three treatment groups: the experimental group received preliminary tissue-engineered cartilage; the blank group received pure chitosan hydrogels; and, the control group had received no implantation. The knee joints were harvested at predetermined time. The repaired cartilage was analyzed through gross morphology, histologically and immunohistochemically. The repairs were scored according to the international cartilage repair society (ICRS) standard.
The gross morphology results suggested that the defects were repaired completely in the experimental group after twelve weeks. The regenerated tissue connected closely with subchondral bone and the boundary with normal tissue was fuzzy. The cartilage lacuna in the regenerated tissue was similar to normal cartilage lacuna. The results of ICRS gross and histological grading showed that there were significant differences among the three groups (P<0.05).
Chondrocytes implanted in the scaffold can adhere, proliferate, and secrete extracellular matrix. The novel tissue-engineered cartilage constructed in our research can completely repair the structure of damaged articular cartilage.
在我们之前的工作中，我们制备了一种具有优异生物相容性的壳聚糖水凝胶。在本研究中，用这种壳聚糖水凝胶和肋软骨细胞构建的组织工程软骨用于修复关节软骨缺损。
用1,6 - 二异氰酸己酯和聚乙二醇组合形成的交联剂制备壳聚糖水凝胶。将体外培养一周的兔软骨细胞接种到壳聚糖水凝胶支架上，形成初步的组织工程软骨。然后将这种初步的组织工程软骨移植到兔关节软骨缺损处。有三个治疗组：实验组接受初步的组织工程软骨；空白组接受纯壳聚糖水凝胶；对照组未进行植入。在预定时间采集膝关节。通过大体形态学、组织学和免疫组织化学分析修复后的软骨。根据国际软骨修复协会（ICRS）标准对修复情况进行评分。
大体形态学结果表明，实验组在12周后缺损完全修复。再生组织与软骨下骨紧密相连，与正常组织的边界模糊。再生组织中的软骨陷窝与正常软骨陷窝相似。ICRS大体和组织学分级结果显示三组之间存在显著差异（P<0.05）。
植入支架中的软骨细胞能够黏附、增殖并分泌细胞外基质。我们研究中构建的新型组织工程软骨能够完全修复受损关节软骨的结构。
