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Preparation and characterization of collagen/PLA, chitosan/PLA, and collagen/chitosan/PLA hybrid scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

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Abstract

In this study, three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds were developed for the repair of articular cartilage defects. Novel collagen/polylactide (PLA), chitosan/PLA, and collagen/chitosan/PLA hybrid scaffolds were fabricated by combining freeze-dried natural components and synthetic PLA mesh, where the 3D PLA mesh gives mechanical strength, and the natural polymers, collagen and/or chitosan, mimic the natural cartilage tissue environment of chondrocytes. In total, eight scaffold types were studied: four hybrid structures containing collagen and/or chitosan with PLA, and four parallel plain scaffolds with only collagen and/or chitosan. The potential of these types of scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering applications were determined by the analysis of the microstructure, water uptake, mechanical strength, and the viability and attachment of adult bovine chondrocytes to the scaffolds. The manufacturing method used was found to be applicable for the manufacturing of hybrid scaffolds with highly porous 3D structures. All the hybrid scaffolds showed a highly porous structure with open pores throughout the scaffold. Collagen was found to bind water inside the structure in all collagen-containing scaffolds better than the chitosan-containing scaffolds, and the plain collagen scaffolds had the highest water absorption. The stiffness of the scaffold was improved by the hybrid structure compared to plain scaffolds. The cell viability and attachment was good in all scaffolds, however, the collagen hybrid scaffolds showed the best penetration of cells into the scaffold. Our results show that from the studied scaffolds the collagen/PLA hybrids are the most promising scaffolds from this group for cartilage tissue engineering.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Antti Aula for microCT image editing. The financial support of the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES) is greatly appreciated (Grant 3110/31/08).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 3, 33720, Tampere, Finland

    Anne-Marie Haaparanta, Ibrahim Fatih Cengiz, Ville Ellä & Minna Kellomäki

  2. BioMediTech, Institute of Biosciences and Medical Technology, Tampere, Finland

    Anne-Marie Haaparanta, Ville Ellä & Minna Kellomäki

  3. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290, Helsinki, Finland

    Elina Järvinen & Ilkka Kiviranta

  4. Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1F, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Harri T. Kokkonen

Authors
  1. Anne-Marie Haaparanta
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  2. Elina Järvinen
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  3. Ibrahim Fatih Cengiz
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  4. Ville Ellä
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  5. Harri T. Kokkonen
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  6. Ilkka Kiviranta
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  7. Minna Kellomäki
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Correspondence to Anne-Marie Haaparanta.

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Haaparanta, AM., Järvinen, E., Cengiz, I.F. et al. Preparation and characterization of collagen/PLA, chitosan/PLA, and collagen/chitosan/PLA hybrid scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 25, 1129–1136 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-013-5129-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-013-5129-5

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