Bioprinted Cartilage

Bioprinting ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 40-57
Author(s):  
Kenneth Douglas

Abstract: This chapter chronicles the difficulties in bioprinting any of the three types of cartilage, with emphasis on the articular cartilage, which is so often damaged in our knees and hips. The chapter sets out the disparity between the apparent simplicity of cartilage (no blood vessels, no nerves, and composed of a single, sparse cell type) and the complexity of its zonal architecture (disparate cell structure and orientation in different regions of the same cartilage tissue). The chapter presents examples of the bioprinting of all three cartilage types: articular cartilage (belonging to the hyaline family of cartilage), elastic cartilage (such as is found in our ears), and fibrocartilage (such as the meniscus in our knees). The chapter discusses the promise of decellularized extracellular matrix (which is extracellular matrix—the cells’ immediate environment—with the cells removed) as a bioink.

2020 ◽  
pp. 039139882095386
Author(s):  
Wenrun Zhu ◽  
Lu Cao ◽  
Chunfeng Song ◽  
Zhiying Pang ◽  
Haochen Jiang ◽  
...  

Articular cartilage repair remains a great clinical challenge. Tissue engineering approaches based on decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) scaffolds show promise for facilitating articular cartilage repair. Traditional regenerative approaches currently used in clinical practice, such as microfracture, mosaicplasty, and autologous chondrocyte implantation, can improve cartilage repair and show therapeutic effect to some degree; however, the long-term curative effect is suboptimal. As dECM prepared by proper decellularization procedures is a biodegradable material, which provides space for regeneration tissue growth, possesses low immunogenicity, and retains most of its bioactive molecules that maintain tissue homeostasis and facilitate tissue repair, dECM scaffolds may provide a biomimetic microenvironment promoting cell attachment, proliferation, and chondrogenic differentiation. Currently, cell-derived dECM scaffolds have become a research hotspot in the field of cartilage tissue engineering, as ECM derived from cells cultured in vitro has many advantages compared with native cartilage ECM. This review describes cell types used to secrete ECM, methods of inducing cells to secrete cartilage-like ECM and decellularization methods to prepare cell-derived dECM. The potential mechanism of dECM scaffolds on cartilage repair, methods for improving the mechanical strength of cell-derived dECM scaffolds, and future perspectives on cell-derived dECM scaffolds are also discussed in this review.


Author(s):  
Timur B. Minasov ◽  
Ekaterina R. Yakupova ◽  
Dilmurod Ruziboev ◽  
Ruslan M. Vakhitov-Kovalevich ◽  
Ruslan F. Khairutdinov ◽  
...  

Degenerative pathology of the musculoskeletal system is one of the main reasons for decreased mobility in patients of the older age group. Increasing the life expectancy leads to predominance non-epidemic pathology in all developed countries. Therefore, degenerative diseases of musculoskeletal system have not only medical significance but also social significance. Objective is studying the morphological features of synovial environment of the decompensated osteoarthritic (OA) knee joint. Structural features of subchondral bone, hyaline cartilage of the femur and tibia, the articular capsule, menisci and ligamentous apparatus of the knee joint were studied in 64 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty at the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics Bashkirian State Medical University in the period from 2015 to 2020. Material selection, preparation of histological samples, staining with hematoxylin-eosin, microscopy was performed. Adaptive signs of articular cartilage of the femoral condyles manifest in the form of cartilage tissue rearrangement, which are most pronounced in the central zone of the cartilage. At the same time, the phenomena of decompensation and significant areas of destruction are noted. Also, the subchondral bone was replaced with connective tissue with subsequent sclerosis. This sclerosis subsequently led to the decompensation of structures of the hyaline cartilage in the deep and middle zones. Destructive and dystrophic processes were noted in the knee joint menisci. Articular cartilage was replaced with granulation tissue with subsequent invasion of blood vessels. Cruciate ligaments in patients with OA show signs of adaptation due to expansion of endothenonium layers between bundles of collagen fibers and an increase in the diameter of blood vessels.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 2700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikko Lammi ◽  
Juha Piltti ◽  
Juha Prittinen ◽  
Chengjuan Qu

A correct articular cartilage ultrastructure regarding its structural components and cellularity is important for appropriate performance of tissue-engineered articular cartilage. Various scaffold-based, as well as scaffold-free, culture models have been under development to manufacture functional cartilage tissue. Even decellularized tissues have been considered as a potential choice for cellular seeding and tissue fabrication. Pore size, interconnectivity, and functionalization of the scaffold architecture can be varied. Increased mechanical function requires a dense scaffold, which also easily restricts cellular access within the scaffold at seeding. High pore size enhances nutrient transport, while small pore size improves cellular interactions and scaffold resorption. In scaffold-free cultures, the cells assemble the tissue completely by themselves; in optimized cultures, they should be able to fabricate native-like tissue. Decellularized cartilage has a native ultrastructure, although it is a challenge to obtain proper cellular colonization during cell seeding. Bioprinting can, in principle, provide the tissue with correct cellularity and extracellular matrix content, although it is still an open question as to how the correct molecular interaction and structure of extracellular matrix could be achieved. These are challenges facing the ongoing efforts to manufacture optimal articular cartilage.


F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 2158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Gadjanski

Articular cartilage (AC) is a seemingly simple tissue that has only one type of constituting cell and no blood vessels and nerves. In the early days of tissue engineering, cartilage appeared to be an easy and promising target for reconstruction and this was especially motivating because of widespread AC pathologies such as osteoarthritis and frequent sports-induced injuries. However, AC has proven to be anything but simple. Recreating the varying properties of its zonal structure is a challenge that has not yet been fully answered. This caused the shift in tissue engineering strategies toward bioinspired or biomimetic approaches that attempt to mimic and simulate as much as possible the structure and function of the native tissues. Hydrogels, particularly gradient hydrogels, have shown great potential as components of the biomimetic engineering of the cartilaginous tissue.


2020 ◽  
Vol 268 ◽  
pp. 127609
Author(s):  
Yong Xu ◽  
Litao Jia ◽  
Zongxin Wang ◽  
Gening Jiang ◽  
Guangdong Zhou ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Yuta Takagi ◽  
Toshihiko Shiraishi ◽  
Shin Morishita ◽  
Ryohei Takeuchi ◽  
Tomoyuki Saito ◽  
...  

This paper describes the effects of vibration stimulation on chondrocytes in three-dimensional culture in relation to the production of regenerative cartilage tissue, using collagen artificial skin as a carrier and supplementation with hyaluronic acid (used in the conservative treatment of osteoarthritis), and the mechanism of the adaptive response of chondrocytes to mechanical loading. The experimental condition imitates an environment of articular cartilage in vivo that chondrocytes are completely surrounded by the extracellular matrix and receives mechanical stimulation for the weight-bearing mechanics. Chondrocytes were isolated from articular cartilage of porcine metatarsophalangeal joints. Experiments were performed under four different culture conditions: control condition, in which chondrocytes were cultured with atelocollagen gel and collagen artificial skins, and no vibration (HA−Vib−); HA−Vib+, in which chondrocytes were cultured in atelocollagen gel and collagen artificial skins with vibration treatment for 2 weeks; HA+Vib−, in which chondrocytes were cultured in medium containing 0.1% hyaluronic acid; and HA+Vib+, in which chondrocytes were cultured in medium containing 0.1% hyaluronic acid with vibration treatment for 2 weeks. Histologic analysis was conducted at 14 days of culture. The proliferation of chondrocytes was obtained by counting the number of cells with a hemocytometer after 3, 7, 10, and 14 days of culture. The expression of Sox 9 and β-catenin was detected by western blotting analysis. Sox 9 has been reported of involvement in transcription of type IX collagen that binds cartilage-specific type II collagen fibrils. β-catenin plays an important role of signaling pathways of cell proliferation although the relationship between β-catenin and mechanical vibration stimulation has not been clarified yet. The obtained results are as follows. The mechanical vibration enhanced the thickness of extracellular matrix of chondrocytes in histologic section at 14 days of culture and increased the expression of Sox 9. In addition, the mechanical vibration significantly increased the number of chondrocytes after 10 days of culture and promoted the expression of β-catenin. These results show that mechanical vibration promotes the matrix production and proliferation of chondrocytes and that a part of important signaling pathways in relation to mechanical vibration stimulation and proliferation of chondrocytes has been revealed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongguang Xiao ◽  
Weimin Guo ◽  
Mingxue Chen ◽  
Chunxiang Hao ◽  
Shuang Gao ◽  
...  

The scaffold is a key element in cartilage tissue engineering. The components of Wharton’s jelly are similar to those of articular cartilage and it also contains some chondrogenic growth factors, such as insulin-like growth factor I and transforming growth factor-β. We fabricated a tissue-engineered cartilage scaffold derived from Wharton’s jelly extracellular matrix (WJECM) and compared it with a scaffold derived from articular cartilage ECM (ACECM) using freeze-drying. The results demonstrated that both WJECM and ACECM scaffolds possessed favorable pore sizes and porosities; moreover, they showed good water uptake ratios and compressive moduli. Histological staining confirmed that the WJECM and ACECM scaffolds contained similar ECM. Moreover, both scaffolds showed good cellular adherence, bioactivity, and biocompatibility. MTT and DNA content assessments confirmed that the ACECM scaffold tended to be more beneficial for improving cell proliferation than the WJECM scaffold. However, RT-qPCR results demonstrated that the WJECM scaffold was more favorable to enhance cellular chondrogenesis than the ACECM scaffold, showing more collagen II and aggrecan mRNA expression. These results were confirmed indirectly by glycosaminoglycan and collagen content assessments and partially confirmed by histology and immunofluorescent staining. In conclusion, these results suggest that a WJECM scaffold may be favorable for future cartilage tissue engineering.


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