Allogenic chondrocyte/osteoblast-loaded β-tricalcium phosphate bioceramic scaffolds for articular cartilage defect treatment.

The medical community has expressed significant interest in the treatment of cartilage defect. Successful repair of articular cartilage defects remains a challenge in clinics. Due to the huge advantages of 3D micro/nanomaterials, 3D artificial micro/nano scaffolds have been widely developed and explored in the tissue repair of articular joints. In this study, chondrocyte/osteoblast-loaded β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) bioceramic scaffold and chondrocyte-loaded β-TCP bioceramic scaffold were prepared by micromass stem cell culture and bioreactor-based cells-loaded scaffold culture for articular cartilage defect treatment. The results demonstrate chondrocyte and osteoblast can be successfully induced from allogeneic bone marrow stromal cells using micromass stem cell culture. Further, chondrocyte-loaded β-TCP scaffold and osteoblast-loaded β-TCP scaffold can be successfully prepared by bioreactor-based cells-loaded scaffold culture. Finally, the scaffolds are applied for Beagle articular cartilage defect treatment. The relative cartilage regeneration abilities on Beagle femoral trochleae were as follows: Chondrocyte/osteoblast-loaded β-TCP bioceramic scaffold group > chondrocyte-loaded β-TCP bioceramic scaffold group > β-TCP bioceramic scaffold. Therefore, micromass stem cell culture and bioreactor-based cells-loaded scaffold culture can be applied to prepare chondrocyte/osteoblast-loaded β-TCP bioceramic scaffold for articular cartilage defect treatment. It suggests allogenic chondrocyte/osteoblast-loaded β-TCP bioceramic scaffold could be potentially used in the treatment of patients with cartilage defects.