Biomaterial effects in articular cartilage tissue engineering using polyglycolic acid, a novel marine origin biomaterial, IGF-I, and TGF-β1

Bovine articular chondrocytes were seeded on either polyglycolic acid (PGA) non-woven mesh scaffolds or a biomatrix from the species Porites lutea (POR). These constructs were cultured for 6 weeks in the presence of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I (10ng/ml or 100ng/ml) or transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 (5ng/ml or 30ng/ml) to determine the articular cartilage regeneration capacity of each. Histology, deoxyribonucleic acid content, collagen I and II (immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) contents were measured at 0 weeks, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks to assess the characteristics of chondrogenesis. Both scaffolds supported the maintenance of the chondrocytic phenotype, as evidenced by the predominance of collagen II and the presence of rounded chondrocytes embedded in lacunae. Regardless of growth factor treatment, cells cultured on PGA scaffolds produced more collagen type II than those cultured on POR. Conversely, by 6 weeks, cells cultured on POR scaffolds produced more GAG than those cultured on PGA scaffolds, again regardless of the growth factor used. Across the two groups, 100ng/ml of IGF-I had the greatest overall effect in GAG content. This work indicates that PGA and the POR scaffolds are both effective growth matrices for articular cartilage, with each scaffold exhibiting different yet desirable profiles of articular cartilage growth.