Mechanical loading inhibits hypertrophy in chondrogenically differentiating hMSCs within a biomimetic hydrogel.

ABSTRACT: Three dimensional hydrogels are a promising vehicle for delivery of adult human bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) for cartilage tissue engineering. One of the challenges with using this cell type is the default pathway is terminal differentiation, a hypertrophic phenotype and precursor to endochondral ossification. We hypothesized that a synthetic hydrogel consisting of extracellular matrix (ECM) analogs derived from cartilage when combined with dynamic loading provides physiochemical cues for achieving a stable chondrogenic phenotype. Hydrogels were formed from crosslinked poly(ethylyene glycol) as the base chemistry and to which (meth)acrylate functionalized ECM analogs of RGD (cell adhesion peptide) and chondroitin sulfate (ChS, a negatively charged glycosaminoglycan) w

SUBMITTER: Aisenbrey EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4972607 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature