Improved Chondrogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in a Spongiform Collagenous Scaffold

摘要

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are progenitor cells that regenerate mesenchymal tissues. They can be isolated without major obstacles from adult bone marrow, expanded and differentiated in vitro, albeit with variable success. We therefore developed an improved method for chondrogenic differentiation of MSC utilizing a chondroitin sulfate-augmented bilayered scaffold specifically approved for autologous chondrocyte implantation in the knee. We report that chondrogenic differentiation of adult bone marrow-derived MSC in this scaffold yielded cells that expressed high levels of type II collagen, even in absence of chondrogenic cytokines, and amplified after addition of TGF-?. We conclude that this scaffold is an interesting tool to further develop MSC-based cellular therapies for cartilage regeneration.