Comparing Single Cell Versus Pellet Encapsulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Three-Dimensional Hydrogels for Cartilage Regeneration.

ABSTRACT: While the gold standard for inducing mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) chondrogenesis utilizes pellet culture, most tissue engineering strategies for cartilage regeneration encapsulate MSCs as single cells, partially due to the technical challenge to homogeneously encapsulate cell pellets in three-dimensional (3D) hydrogels. It remains unclear whether encapsulating MSCs as single cell suspension or cell aggregates in 3D hydrogels would enhance MSC-based cartilage formation. In this study, we determined that the optimal size of MSC micropellets (μPellets) that can be homogeneously encapsulated in hydrogels with high cell viability is 100 cells/pellet. Using optimized μPellet size, MSCs were encapsulated either as single cell suspension or μPellets in four soft hydrogel formulations with stiffness

SUBMITTER: Rogan H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6784495 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature