Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 145 Middle Shandong Road, Shanghai, 200001, China.
J Mater Chem B. 2024 Sep 11;12(35):8672-8687. doi: 10.1039/d4tb00624k.
Articular cartilage damage represents a prevalent clinical disease in orthopedics, with its regeneration and repair constituting a central focus in ongoing research endeavors. While hydrogel technology has achieved notable progress in the field of cartilage regeneration, addressing the repair of larger cartilage defects remains a significant and formidable challenge. In pursuit of achieving the repair of extensive cartilage defects, this study designed a polydopamine-modified chondroitin sulfate hydrogel loaded with SDF-1α (P-SCMA). This hydrogel, capable of directly providing glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), served as a platform for carrying growth factors and attracting mesenchymal stem cells for the reconstruction of extensive cartilage defects. The results indicate that the P-SCMA hydrogel is capable of not only directly providing GAGs but also sustainably releasing SDF-1α. In the early stages, it promotes cell adhesion and proliferation and induces cell homing, while in the later stages, it further induces chondrogenesis by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This bioactive hydrogel, which possesses the functions of providing GAGs, promoting cell proliferation, inducing cell homing and chondrogenesis, is capable of promoting cartilage repair in multiple ways, providing new perspectives for the repair of extensive cartilage defects.
关节软骨损伤是骨科的一种常见临床疾病，其再生和修复是当前研究的重点。尽管水凝胶技术在软骨再生领域取得了显著进展，但解决较大的软骨缺损的修复仍然是一个重大而艰巨的挑战。为了实现对大面积软骨缺损的修复，本研究设计了一种载有 SDF-1α 的聚多巴胺修饰硫酸软骨素水凝胶（P-SCMA）。这种水凝胶能够直接提供糖胺聚糖（GAGs），作为携带生长因子和吸引间充质干细胞的平台，用于重建大面积软骨缺损。结果表明，P-SCMA 水凝胶不仅能够直接提供 GAGs，还能够持续释放 SDF-1α。在早期，它促进细胞黏附和增殖，并诱导细胞归巢，而在后期，它通过抑制 Wnt/β-catenin 通路进一步诱导软骨生成。这种具有提供 GAGs、促进细胞增殖、诱导细胞归巢和软骨生成功能的活性水凝胶，能够通过多种方式促进软骨修复，为大面积软骨缺损的修复提供了新的视角。
