Biocompatibility of tissue engineered cartilage constructedin vivoby silk fibroin-chitosan scaffold carrying bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Our previous studies have found that silk fibroin-chitosan scaffold carrying bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can repair cartilage defect in rabbits, but further exploration on the biocompatibility of tissue engineered cartilage is yet to be done. OBJECTIVE: To explore the biocompatibility of tissue engineered cartilage that is constructed in vitro by silk fibroin-chitosan scaffold with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. METHODS: Three-dimensional silk fibroin-chitosan scaffolds were prepared in a ratio of 11. Rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were extracted, induced and seeded onto the silk fibroin-chitosan scaffold to construct the cell-scaffold composite. The composite was then implanted into a rabbit joint defect model for cartilage repair. There were three groups in the present study Experiment group with implantation of induced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells+silk fibroin-chitosan scaffold into the cartilage defect model, control group with implantation of silk fibroin-chitosan scaffold into the cartilage defect model, and blank group without implantation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The three-dimensional silk fibroin-chitosan scaffolds were successfully prepared and combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to construct the tissue engineered cartilage for repair cartilage defects in rabbits. Blood routine parameters, procalcitonin levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rates and C-reactive protein levels detected at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks post-implantation indicated no obvious signs of systemic infection, and there was no damage to liver and kidney functions in the three groups. There were also no significant differences between the three groups in terms of blood routines and liver and kidney functions (P > 0.05). As shown by gross observation, hematoxylin-eosin staining and scanning electron microscope, in the experimental group, cartilage defects were repaired, with scaffold degradation, no presence of inflammatory cells, and good integration with surrounding tissues. Therefore, tissue engineered cartilage constructed in vitro by silk fibroin-chitosan scaffolds carrying bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells has good biocompatibility, which provides an experimental basis for tissue engineering approaches to cartilage repair.