Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, ROC.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung Kang branch, Cheng Ching Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
PLoS One. 2018 May 10;13(5):e0196779. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196779. eCollection 2018.
Cartilage has limited self-repair ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different species of collagen-engineered neocartilage for the treatment of critical-size defects in the articular joint in a rabbit model. Type II and I collagen obtained from rabbits and rats was mixed to form a scaffold. The type II/I collagen scaffold was then mixed with rabbit chondrocytes to biofabricate neocartilage constructs using a rotating cell culture system [three-dimensional (3D)-bioreactor]. The rabbit chondrocytes were mixed with rabbit collagen scaffold and rat collagen scaffold to form neoRBT (neo-rabbit cartilage) and neoRAT (neo-rat cartilage) constructs, respectively. The neocartilage matrix constructs were implanted into surgically created defects in rabbit knee chondyles, and histological examinations were performed after 2 and 3 months. Cartilage-like lacunae formation surrounding the chondrocytes was noted in the cell cultures. After 3 months, both the neoRBT and neoRAT groups showed cartilage-like repair tissue covering the 5-mm circular, 4-mm-deep defects that were created in the rabbit condyle and filled with neocartilage plugs. Reparative chondrocytes were aligned as apparent clusters in both the neoRAT and neoRBT groups. Both neoRBT and neoRAT cartilage repair demonstrated integration with healthy adjacent tissue; however, more integration was obtained using the neoRAT cartilage. Our data indicate that different species of type II/I collagen matrix and 3D bioreactor cultivation can facilitate cartilage engineering in vitro for the repair of critical-size defect.
软骨自我修复能力有限。本研究旨在探讨不同种类的胶原工程化新生软骨对兔关节关节内临界尺寸缺损的治疗效果。从兔和大鼠中提取的 II 型和 I 型胶原混合形成支架。然后，将 II 型/I 型胶原支架与兔软骨细胞混合，使用旋转细胞培养系统[三维（3D）生物反应器]生物制造新生软骨构建体。将兔软骨细胞与兔胶原支架和鼠胶原支架混合，分别形成 neoRBT（neo-rabbit cartilage，neo-兔软骨）和 neoRAT（neo-rat cartilage，neo-鼠软骨）构建体。将新生软骨基质构建体植入兔膝关节软骨的手术创建的缺损中，并在 2 个月和 3 个月后进行组织学检查。在细胞培养中观察到围绕软骨细胞形成软骨样腔隙。3 个月后，neoRBT 和 neoRAT 两组均显示出软骨样修复组织覆盖在兔髁部的 5mm 圆形、4mm 深的缺损上，并填充了新生软骨塞。修复性软骨细胞在 neoRAT 和 neoRBT 两组中均排列成明显的簇。neoRBT 和 neoRAT 软骨修复均与健康相邻组织整合；然而，neoRAT 软骨获得了更多的整合。我们的数据表明，不同种类的 II 型/I 型胶原基质和 3D 生物反应器培养可以促进体外软骨工程，用于修复临界尺寸缺损。
