Development of a cellularly degradable PEG hydrogel to promote articular cartilage extracellular matrix deposition.

ABSTRACT: Healing articular cartilage remains a significant clinical challenge because of its limited self-healing capacity. While delivery of autologous chondrocytes to cartilage defects has received growing interest, combining cell-based therapies with scaffolds that capture aspects of native tissue and promote cell-mediated remodeling could improve outcomes. Currently, scaffold-based therapies with encapsulated chondrocytes permit matrix production; however, resorption of the scaffold does not match the rate of production by cells leading to generally low extracellular matrix outputs. Here, a poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) norbornene hydrogel is functionalized with thiolated transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) and cross-linked by an MMP-degradable peptide. Chondrocytes are co-encapsulated with a sm

SUBMITTER: Sridhar BV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4487633 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature