Faculty Collaboration Database

Self-assembly of fibrochondrocytes and chondrocytes for tissue engineering of the knee meniscus. Tissue Eng 2007 May;13(5):939-46

Date

05/09/2007

Pubmed ID

17484700

DOI

10.1089/ten.2006.0116

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-34249880385 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   65 Citations

Abstract

Chondrocyte self-assembly in high-density scaffoldless culture has shown success in producing articular cartilage constructs, and a similar process could be applied to fibrocartilage tissue engineering. Three cell combinations were compared in self-assembly culture-100% chondrocytes, 100% meniscal fibrochondrocytes, and 50:50 co-cultures of fibrochondrocytes and chondrocytes with the goal of creating a proteoglycan, collagen I, and collagen II matrix similar to native meniscus. Two culture surfaces were also compared for self-assembly: agarose-coated wells and tissue culture plastic. After 4 weeks, the resulting self-assembled chondrocyte constructs were 10.24+/-0.63 mm in diameter and 0.96+/-0.14 mm thick, weighing 84.5+/-7.2 mg. Co-culture constructs were smaller and weighed 22.5+/-1.0 mg. In contrast, the fibrochondrocyte constructs contracted into spheres weighing 1.3+/-0.3 mg. Immunostaining showed collagen II in the chondrocyte constructs, both collagen I and collagen II in the co-cultures, and only collagen I in the fibrochondrocyte constructs. Collagen densities for chondrocyte, co-culture, and fibrochondrocyte constructs were 41+/-3, 38+/-3, and 20+/-2 microg/mg dry weight, and glycosaminoglycan densities were 230+/-2, 80+/-6, and 10+/-1 microg/mg dry weight, respectively. Self-assembled co-cultures, with their mixed collagen I and II matrix and robust gross characteristics, appear promising for tissue engineering of the knee meniscus.

Author List

Hoben GM, Hu JC, James RA, Athanasiou KA

Author

Gwendolyn M B Hoben MD Assistant Professor in the Plastic Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Bioartificial Organs
Cartilage, Articular
Cattle
Cells, Cultured
Chondrocytes
Coculture Techniques
Extracellular Matrix
Extracellular Matrix Proteins
Male
Menisci, Tibial
Tissue Engineering