Biomolecules (Dec 2019)

Development of a Three-Dimensional Bioengineered Platform for Articular Cartilage Regeneration

  • Gerard Rubí-Sans,
  • Lourdes Recha-Sancho,
  • Soledad Pérez-Amodio,
  • Miguel Ángel Mateos-Timoneda,
  • Carlos Eduardo Semino,
  • Elisabeth Engel

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10010052
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
p. 52

Abstract

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Degenerative cartilage pathologies are nowadays a major problem for the world population. Factors such as age, genetics or obesity can predispose people to suffer from articular cartilage degeneration, which involves severe pain, loss of mobility and consequently, a loss of quality of life. Current strategies in medicine are focused on the partial or total replacement of affected joints, physiotherapy and analgesics that do not address the underlying pathology. In an attempt to find an alternative therapy to restore or repair articular cartilage functions, the use of bioengineered tissues is proposed. In this study we present a three-dimensional (3D) bioengineered platform combining a 3D printed polycaprolactone (PCL) macrostructure with RAD16-I, a soft nanofibrous self-assembling peptide, as a suitable microenvironment for human mesenchymal stem cells’ (hMSC) proliferation and differentiation into chondrocytes. This 3D bioengineered platform allows for long-term hMSC culture resulting in chondrogenic differentiation and has mechanical properties resembling native articular cartilage. These promising results suggest that this approach could be potentially used in articular cartilage repair and regeneration.

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