Evaluation of Cartilage Repair by Mesenchymal Stem Cells Seeded on a PEOT PBT Scaffold in an Osteochondral Defect

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-seeded polyethylene-oxide-terephthalate polybutylene-terephthalate (PEOT PBT) scaffold for cartilage tissue repair in an osteochondral defect using a rabbit model. Material characterisation using scanning electron microscopy indicated that the scaffold had a 3D architecture characteristic of the additive manufacturing fabrication method, with a strut diameter of 296 + - A 52 mu m and a pore size of 512 + - A 22 mu m x 476 + - A 25 mu m x 180 + - A 30 mu m. In vitro optimisation revealed that the scaffold did not generate an adverse cell response, optimal cell loading conditions were achieved using 50 mu g ml fibronectin and a cell seeding density of 25 x 10(6) cells ml and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) accumulation after 28 days culture in the presence of TGF beta 3 indicated positive chondrogenesis. Cell-seeded scaffolds were implanted in osteochondral defects for 12 weeks, with cell-free scaffolds and empty defects employed as controls. On examination of toluidine blue staining for chondrogenesis and GAG accumulation, both the empty defect and the cell-seeded scaffold appeared to promote repair. However, the empty defect and the cell-free scaffold stained positive for collagen type I or fibrocartilage, while the cell-seeded scaffold stained positive for collagen type II indicative of hyaline cartilage and was statistically better than the cell-free scaffold in the blinded histological evaluation. In summary, MSCs in combination with a 3D PEOT PBT scaffold created a reparative environment for cartilage repair.