Injectable open-porous PLGA microspheres as cell carriers for cartilage regeneration

Moyuan Qu; Xiaoling Liao; Nan Jiang; Wujin Sun; Wenqian Xiao; Xingwu Zhou; Ali Khademhosseini; Bo Li; Songsong Zhu

doi:10.1002/jbm.a.37196

Injectable open-porous PLGA microspheres as cell carriers for cartilage regeneration

J Biomed Mater Res A. 2021 Nov;109(11):2091-2100. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.37196. Epub 2021 Apr 18.

Authors

Moyuan Qu^{1

2

3}, Xiaoling Liao⁴, Nan Jiang¹, Wujin Sun^{3

5}, Wenqian Xiao⁴, Xingwu Zhou³, Ali Khademhosseini^{3

5}, Bo Li⁴, Songsong Zhu¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
² Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, School of Medicine, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, and Clinical Research Center of Oral Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
³ Department of Bioengineering, California NanoSystems Institute, Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁴ Chongqing Key Laboratory of Nano/Micro Composite Materials and Devices, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, China.
⁵ Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Los Angeles, California, USA.

PMID: 33866669
DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37196

Abstract

Minimally invasive treatment via injectable delivery of cells has drawn extensive attention for tissue regeneration because it reduces the need for substantial open surgery and fits tissue defects with complex shapes, making it a suitable option for repairing articular cartilage defects. This work presents an alkaline treatment method to fabricate open-porous poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres (OPMs) as bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) carriers for cartilage regeneration. OPMs have better biodegradation property and the extended pores can provide easier access for cells to the internal space. The BMSCs cultured with OPMs can display enhanced cell proliferation, up-regulated expression of cartilage-related mRNAs and proteins, and improved cartilage regeneration in vitro and in vivo. These results highlight the advantage and potential of using OPMs fabricated via simple alkaline treatment as injectable stem cell carriers for cartilage regeneration through minimally invasive procedures.

Keywords: PLGA; cartilage regeneration; cell carrier; injectable scaffold; microsphere.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cartilage, Articular / physiology*
Male
Mesenchymal Stem Cells / metabolism*
Microspheres*
Polyglycolic Acid / chemistry*
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Regeneration*
Tissue Engineering*
Tissue Scaffolds / chemistry*

Substances

Polyglycolic Acid