A tissue engineered osteochondral plug an in vitr

Authors: C Scotti M S Buragas L Mangiavini C Sosio A Di Giancamillo C Domeneghini G Fraschini G M Peretti

Publish Date: 2007/06/27

Volume: 15, Issue: 11, Pages: 1363-1369

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Abstract

Articular cartilage lesions have a poor intrinsic healing potential The repair tissue is often fibrous having insufficient biomechanical properties which could frequently lead to the development of early osteoarthritis In the last decade tissue engineering approaches addressed this topic in order to restore joint function with a differentiated and functional tissue Many biomaterials and techniques have been proposed and some of them applied in clinical practice even though several concerns have been raised on the quality of the engineered tissue and on its integration in the host joint In this study we focused on engineering in vitro a biphasic composite made of cellular fibrin glue and a calcium–phosphate scaffold Biphasic composites are the latest products of tissue engineering applied to articular cartilage and they seem to allow a more efficient integration of the engineered tissue with the host However a firm in vitro bonding between the two components of the composite is a necessary condition to validate this model Our study demonstrated a gross and microscopic integration of the two components and a cartilagelike quality of the newly formed matrix Moreover we noticed an improvement of this integration and GAGs production during the in vitro cultureThis work was done at the Stem Cell Research Institute directed by Professor Giulio Cossu The authors gratefully acknowledge Mr Paolo Stortini for his precious help in histological analysis A special thank is given to the Spaccio Agricolo Agripig for their assistance in animal management

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