Cultivation of auricular chondrocytes in poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(ε-caprolactone) hydrogel for tracheal cartilage tissue engineering in a rabbit model

C. S. Chang, C. Y. Yang, H. Y. Hsiao, L. Chen, I. M. Chu, M. H. Cheng, Chung Kan Tsao*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tissue engineering has the potential to overcome the limitations of tracheal reconstruction. To tissue-engineer a tracheal cartilage, auricular chondrocytes were encapsulated in a photocurable poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG/PCL) hydrogel. Chondrogenic genes, including Sox9, Acan and Col2a1, were up-regulated in auricular chondrocytes after 2 weeks of in vitro cultivation in the PEG/PCL hydrogel. Co-cultivation of 70 % auricular chondrocytes and 30 % bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) accelerated the chondrogenic genes’ expression in the PEG/PCL hydrogel. Cartilaginous matrix markers, including proteoglycans and collagen type II, were detected in the chondrocytes-encapsulated PEG/PCL hydrogel after 4 weeks of in vitro cultivation. The higher expression level of cartilaginous matrix markers was observed in the PEG/PCL hydrogel with co-cultivation of 70 % chondrocytes and 30 % BMSCs. After 4 weeks of ectopic cultivation in rabbits, the cylindrical PEG/PCL structure was sustained with the use of a luminal silicon stent. However, without the stent, the construct collapsed under a compression force. No fibrosis or vessel ingrowth were found in the PEG/PCL hydrogel after 4 weeks of ectopic cultivation, whereas the auricular chondrocytes showed proteoglycans’ accumulation and collagen type II production. Rabbit auricular chondrocytes could survive and retain chondrogenic ability in the PEG/PCL hydrogel under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. While the PEG/PCL hydrogel did not show sufficient mechanical properties for supporting the cylindrical shape of the construct, the high chondrogenesis level of chondrocytes in the PEG/PCL hydrogel displayed the potential of this material for tracheal tissue engineering.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)350-364
Number of pages15
JournalEuropean Cells and Materials
Volume35
DOIs
StatePublished - 01 01 2018
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, AO Research Institute Davos. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Auricular chondrocytes
  • Cartilage
  • Hydrogel
  • Poly(ethylene glycol)
  • Poly(ε-caprolactone)
  • Tissue engineering
  • Trachea

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