Fabrication of a cartilage patch by fusing hydrogel-derived cell aggregates onto electrospun film

Published Online:19 Mar 2020Irregular defects at sites of degenerative cartilage often accompany osteoarthritis (OA). The development of novel cells/biomaterials-based cartilage tissue engineering methods to address these defects may provide a durable approach to hinder the development of OA. In the present study, we fabricated a neo-cartilage patch by fusing cell aggregates onto a biodegradable nanofiber film for degenerative cartilage repair. Human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) aggregates were prepared and induced for chondrogenesis in a thermosensitive hydrogel, poly (N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (p(NIPAAm-AA)). Cell migration mediated the formation of cell aggregates in the thermosensitive hydrogel and led to a cell-dense hollow shell structure. The chondrocytes derived from MSC aggregates in the hydrogel were evidenced by the expression of chondrogenesis-related genes and extracellular matrices (ECMs). They were fused onto an electrospun film by mechanical force and spatial confinement to generate a neo-cartilage patch. The fabricated neo-cartilage patches may be able to integrate into the irregular defects under compressive stresses and achieve cartilage regeneration in vivo.Jiabin Zhang, Seonho Yun, Yuguang Du, Andrew C.W. Zannettino and Hu Zhan