Department of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Orthopedic Research Institute, Department of Orthopedic, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
J Mater Chem B. 2024 Jan 31;12(5):1271-1284. doi: 10.1039/d3tb02031b.
Owing to the avascular and aneural nature of cartilage tissue and the complex, multilayered structure of osteochondral units, the repair of osteochondral defects poses significant challenges. Traditional monophasic scaffolds have difficulty meeting the repair requirements of both cartilage and bone tissues, whereas multiphasic scaffolds face the issue of interfacial integration. In this study, a triphasic methylpropenylated gelatin (GELMA) hydrogel scaffold was employed to repair osteochondral defects, in which three layers of hydrogel were covalently bonded through a sequential curing process. The upper layer of the scaffold was covalently bonded with chondroitin sulfate, promoting chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The middle and lower layers of the hydrogel introduced a gradient content of hydroxyapatite, forming a scaffold with gradient mechanical strength and effectively enhancing its angiogenic and osteogenic induction capabilities. Finally, the triphasic integrated scaffold cartilage and bone repair performance was evaluated using a rabbit knee joint defect model. The results demonstrated that the scaffold facilitated accelerated regeneration of osteochondral defects, thus providing a novel strategy for the treatment of osteochondral defects.
由于软骨组织的无血管和无神经特性以及骨软骨单位的复杂多层结构，骨软骨缺损的修复带来了重大挑战。传统的单相支架很难满足软骨和骨组织的修复要求，而多相支架则面临界面整合的问题。在这项研究中，采用了三相甲基丙烯酰化明胶（GELMA）水凝胶支架来修复骨软骨缺损，其中三层水凝胶通过顺序固化过程共价结合。支架的上层通过共价键结合硫酸软骨素，促进骨髓间充质干细胞（BMSCs）的软骨分化。水凝胶的中间和下层引入了梯度含量的羟基磷灰石，形成了具有梯度机械强度的支架，并有效增强了其血管生成和成骨诱导能力。最后，使用兔膝关节缺损模型评估了三相整体支架的软骨和骨修复性能。结果表明，该支架促进了骨软骨缺损的加速再生，为骨软骨缺损的治疗提供了一种新策略。
