This study aimed to evaluate the potential of an anti-inflammatory polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel for osteoarthritis (OA) management in an OA in vitro model. Freshly isolated porcine chondrocytes were maintained in high-density cultures to form cartilage-like three-dimensional micromasses. Recombinant porcine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was used to induce OA-like changes. Normal and OA-like micromasses were treated with dendritic polyglycerol sulfate-based PEG hydrogel. Live/dead staining showed that all micromasses remained vital and presented similar morphological characteristics. Safranin-O staining demonstrated a typical depletion of glycosaminoglycans in TNF-α-treated micromasses but not in the presence of the hydrogel. There was no distinct difference in immunohistochemical detection of type II collagen. Microarray data showed that rheumatoid arthritis and TNF signaling pathways were down regulated in hydrogel-treated OA-like micromasses compared to nontreated OA-like micromasses. The hydrogel alone did not affect genes related to OA such as ANPEP, COMP, CXCL12, PTGS2, and TNFSF10, but it prevented their regulation caused by TNF-α. This study provides valuable insights toward a fully synthetic hydrogel for the intra-articular treatment of OA. The findings proved the potential of this hydrogel to prevent the development of TNF-α-induced OA with regard to proteoglycan loss and TNF-α-induced expression pattern without additional signs of differentiation and inflammation. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 490-500, 2019.
Keywords: dendritic polyglycerol sulfate; hydrogel; microarray; polyethylene glycol; tumor necrosis factor.
© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.