Premium
RGD‐functionalized polyethylene glycol hydrogels support proliferation and in vitro chondrogenesis of human periosteum‐derived cells
Author(s) -
Kudva Abhijith K.,
Luyten Frank P.,
Patterson Jennifer
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.36208
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , chondrogenesis , materials science , mesenchymal stem cell , tissue engineering , polyethylene glycol , extracellular matrix , biomedical engineering , cartilage , progenitor cell , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , stem cell , biochemistry , anatomy , biology , polymer chemistry , medicine
Abstract The combination of progenitor cells with appropriate scaffolds and in vitro culture regimes is a promising area of research in bone and cartilage tissue engineering. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), when encapsulated within hydrogels composed of the necessary cues and/or preconditioned using suitable culture conditions, have been shown to differentiate into bone or cartilage. Here, we utilized human periosteum‐derived cells (hPDCs), a progenitor cell population with MSC characteristics, paired with protease‐degradable, functionalized polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels to create tissue‐engineered constructs. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of scaffold composition, exploring the addition of the cell‐binding motif Arginine‐Glycine‐Aspartic Acid (RGD), in combination with various in vitro culture conditions on the proliferation, chondrogenic gene expression, and matrix production of encapsulated hPDCs. In growth medium, the hPDCs in the RGD‐functionalized hydrogels maintained high levels of viability and demonstrated an enhanced proliferation when compared with hPDCs in non‐functionalized hydrogels. Additionally, the RGD‐containing hydrogels promoted higher glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis and chondrogenic gene expression of the encapsulated hPDCs, as opposed to the non‐functionalized constructs, when cultured in two different chondrogenic media. These results demonstrate the potential of hPDCs in combination with enzymatically degradable PEG hydrogels functionalized with adhesion ligands for cartilage regenerative applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 33–42, 2018.