Encapsulation of adipose-derived stem cells and transforming growth factor-beta 1 in carrageenan-based hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering

摘要

Tissue engineering (TE) is an emerging field for the regeneration of damaged tissues. Thecombination of hydrogels with stem cells and growth factors (GFs) has become a promisingapproach to promote cartilage regeneration. In this study, carrageenan-based hydrogels wereused to encapsulate both cells and transforming growth factor-b1 (TGF-b1). The ATDC5 cellline was encapsulated to determine the cytotoxicity and the influence of polymer concentrationon cell viability and proliferation. Human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) were encapsulatedwith TGF-b1 in the hydrogel networks to enhance the chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs.Specific cartilage extracellular matrix molecules expression by hASCs were observed after14 days of cultures of the constructs under different conditions. The k-carrageenan was foundto be a suitable biomaterial for cell and GF encapsulation. The incorporation of TGF-b1 within thecarrageenan-based hydrogel enhanced the cartilage differentiation of hASCs. These findingsindicate that this new system for cartilage TE is very promising for injectablethermoresponsive formulation applications.