Chondroitin sulfate cross-linked three-dimensional tailored electrospun scaffolds for cartilage regeneration

Yujie Chen; Wei Xu; Muhammad Shafiq; Daiying Song; Xianrui Xie; Zhengchao Yuan; Mohamed El-Newehy; Hany El-Hamshary; Yosry Morsi; Yu Liu; Xiumei Mo

doi:10.1016/j.msec.2022.112643

Chondroitin sulfate cross-linked three-dimensional tailored electrospun scaffolds for cartilage regeneration

Biomater Adv. 2022 Mar:134:112643. doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2022.112643. Epub 2022 Jan 8.

Authors

Yujie Chen¹, Wei Xu², Muhammad Shafiq³, Daiying Song², Xianrui Xie¹, Zhengchao Yuan¹, Mohamed El-Newehy⁴, Hany El-Hamshary⁴, Yosry Morsi⁵, Yu Liu⁶, Xiumei Mo⁷

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Songjiang, Shanghai 201600, China.
² Research Institute of Plastic Surgery, Wei Fang Medical College, Weifang 261000, China; National Tissue Engineering Center of China, Minhang, Shanghai 201100, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai 9th People's Hospital, Shanghai Stem Cell Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Huangpu, Shanghai 200001, China.
³ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Songjiang, Shanghai 201600, China; Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS), University of Central Punjab (UCP), Lahore 54000, Pakistan. Electronic address: dr.muhammadshafiq@ucp.edu.pk.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Boroondara, VIC 3122, Australia.
⁶ Research Institute of Plastic Surgery, Wei Fang Medical College, Weifang 261000, China; National Tissue Engineering Center of China, Minhang, Shanghai 201100, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai 9th People's Hospital, Shanghai Stem Cell Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Huangpu, Shanghai 200001, China. Electronic address: yuliu1211@163.com.
⁷ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Songjiang, Shanghai 201600, China. Electronic address: xmm@dhu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35581067
DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2022.112643

Abstract

Degenerated cartilage tissues remain a burgeoning issue to be tackled, while bioactive engineering products available for optimal cartilage regeneration are scarce. In the present study, two-dimensional (2DS) poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)/silk fibroin (PLCL/SF)-based scaffolds were fabricated by conjugate electrospinning method, which were then cross-linked with chondroitin sulfate (CS) to further enhance their mechanical and biological performance. Afterwards, three-dimensional (3D) PLCL/SF scaffolds (3DS) and CS-crosslinked 3D scaffolds (3DCSS) with tailored size were successfully fabricated by an in-situ gas foaming in a confined mold followed by freeze-dried. Gas-foamed scaffolds displayed high porosity, rapid water uptake, and stable mechanical properties. While all of the scaffolds exhibited good cytocompatibility in vitro; 3DCSS showed better cell seeding efficiency and chondro-protective effect compared to other scaffolds. Besides, 3DCSS scaffolds supported the formation of more mature cartilage-like tissues along with the best repair outcome in a rabbit articular cartilage defect model in vivo, as well as less expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α than that of the other groups. Taken together, 3DCSS may provide an alternative therapeutic option for cartilage tissue repair.

Keywords: Cartilage tissue engineering; Chondroitin sulfate; Electrospinning; Gas foaming; Silk fibroin; Three-dimensional.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cartilage, Articular*
Chondroitin Sulfates*
Rabbits
Regeneration
Tissue Engineering / methods
Tissue Scaffolds

Substances

Chondroitin Sulfates