Study of Different Delivery Modes of Chondroitin Sulfate Using Microspheres and Cryogel Scaffold for Application in Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Abstract

This study focuses on the development of an efficient delivery modes designed for chondroitin sulfate (CS) for application in cartilage tissue engineering. Novel three-dimensional (3-D) scaffold fabricated from natural polymers such as chitosan and gelatin blended with chondroitin sulfate (CGC) were synthesized using cryogelation technology. Other methods to deliver CS were also tried, which included incorporation into microparticles for sustained release and embedding the CS loaded microparticles in CG (chitosan-gelatin) cryogel scaffold. Novel CGC scaffolds were characterized by rheology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mechanical assay. Scaffolds exhibited compression modulus of 50 KPa confirming the utility of these scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. Primary goat chondrocytes were used for the in vitro testing of all the delivery modes. So this study shows that CS microparticles when given freely with matrix (chitosan–gelatin) or embedded into scaffold has potential to enhance chondrocyte proliferation together with improved matrix production than in control without microspheres.

Keywords:

• Cartilage tissue engineering
• chondroitin sulfate
• cryogels
• delivery mode
• microspheres

Notes

Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/gpom.