HYBRID POROUS SCAFFOLDS OF BIODEGRADABLE SYNTHETIC POLYMERS AND COLLAGEN FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING - Intelligent Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine - page 426

the collagen microsponges promote cell adhesion and uniform cell
distribution throughout the scaffold. Osteoblasts established from
rat marrow stroma adhered to the PLGA-collagen hybrid mesh and
generatedthedesired-shapedbone.ThePLGA-collagenhybridmesh
shows promise for use as a tool for custom-shaped bone regenera-
tion in basic research on osteogenesis and for the development of
therapeutic applications.
The PLGA-collagen hybrid mesh has also been used for osteo-
chondral tissue engineering. 17 Canine articular chondrocytes were
cultured in the hybrid mesh in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium
(DMEM) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and lami-
nated to construct a chondral layer. Canine bone marrow-derived
mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were cultured in the PLGA-collagen
hybrid mesh in an osteogenic induction medium to construct an
osteo-layer. The osteo- and chondral layers were sutured together
and implanted subcutaneously in nude mice. The original round,
disc shape of the osteochondral constructs was preserved dur-
ing the implantation. The osteo- and chondral layers appeared red
and glistening white, respectively. Histological examination of the
implant specimens indicated that stromal cells and chondrocytes
were evenly distributed throughout the scaffold. The laminated
mesheswereboundtogether,andthetwolayershadadistinctinter-
face between them. The cells showed a round morphology in the
chondral layer and a spindle-like morphology in the osteo-layer. In
the chondral layer, spherical chondrocytes were surrounded by an
abundant cartilaginous extracellular matrix. The round morphol-
ogy and positive staining by safranin O and toluidine blue, together
with the expression of genes encoding type II collagen and aggre-
can, suggested the formation of neocartilage in the chondral layer.
Expressions of genes encoding type I collagen and osteocalcin were
detected in the osteochondral implant. The hybrid mesh supported
the adhesion and proliferation of the stromal cells and the chondro-
cytes and promoted the formation of osteochondral-like tissue. Use
of the PLGA-collagen hybrid mesh and lamination would be a useful
strategy forosteochondral tissue engineering.
The PLGA-collagen hybrid mesh has been compared with the
PLGA knitted mesh for the culture of human skin fibroblasts for the
tissue engineering of dermal tissue. 18 The e ciency of cell seeding