Regeneration of cartilage injuries is greatly limited. Therefore, cartilage injuries are often the starting point for later osteoarthritis. In the past, various bioactive glass (BG) scaffolds have been developed to promote bone healing. Due to the fact that they induce the deposition of hydroxyapatite (HA) -the main component of bone matrix, these BG types are not suitable for chondrogenesis. Hence, a novel BG (Car12N) lacking HA formation, was established. Since BG are generally brittle the combination with polymers is helpful to achieve suitable biomechanic stability. The aim of this interdisciplinary project was to investigate the effects of biodegradable polymer Poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLLA) infiltration into a Car12N scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering. BG scaffolds were infiltrated with PLLA using phase separation within a solvent. Pure BG Car12N scaffolds served as control. To assess whether the polymer was homogeneously distributed the polymer to glass ratio and pore contents in the upper, middle and lower third of the scaffolds were examined by light microscopy. For a more precise characterization of the scaffold topology, the glass strut length, the glass strut diameter and the pore circumference were also measured. Leaching tests in 0.1M HCl solution over 8 days were used to allow a gel layer formation on the scaffolds surface. Non-leached and leached scaffolds were subjected to strength testing. Cytotoxicity of the scaffolds with and without polymer was tested according to standards. Scaffolds were colonized with 27.777.8 per cm3 primary porcine articular chondrocytes (pACs) or primary human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs), respectively. After cultivation for up to 35 days, the vitality, quantitative DNA and sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) contents per scaffold were determined.Introduction and Objective
Materials and Methods
