In vitro culture of a chondrocyte-seeded peptide hydrogel and the effects of dynamic compression

Emerging medical technologies for effective and lasting repair of articular cartilage include delivery of cells or cell-seeded scaffolds to a defect site to initiate de novo tissue regeneration. Biocompatible scaffolds assist in providing a template for cell distribution and extracellular matrix accumulation in a three-dimensional geometry. In these studies, a self-assembling peptide hydrogel is evaluated as a potential scaffold for cartilage repair using a model bovine cell source. A seeding technique is developed for 3-D encapsulation of chondrocytes in a peptide hydrogel. The chondrocyte-seeded peptide hydrogel was then evaluated cellular activities in vitro under standard culture conditions and also when subjected to dynamic compression. During 4 weeks of culture in vitro, chondrocytes seeded within the peptide hydrogel retained their morphology and developed a cartilage-like ECM rich in proteoglycans and type II collagen, indicative of a stable chondrocyte phenotype. Time dependent accumulation of this ECM was paralleled by increases in material stiffness, indicative of deposition of mechanically-functional neo-tissue. Culture of chondrocyte-seeded peptide hydrogels in ITS-supplemented medium was investigated as an alternative to high serum culture. Low serum (0.2%), ITS-supplemented medium was found to maintain high levels of cell division and extracellular matrix synthesis and accumulation, as seen in high serum culture. Furthermore, low serum, ITS medium induced minimal chondrocyte de-differentiation on the surface of the hydrogel. This is in contrast to high serum culture, where surface de-differentiation and subsequent proliferation led to a 5-10 cell thick layer that stained positive for type I collagen.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Biological Engineering Division.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Kisiday, John D. (John David), 1970-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Alan J. Grodzinsky.

• Biological Engineering Division.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29614

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/29614