Constructing tissue engineered cartilage with silk fibroin compound bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Miao Zong-ning, Pan Yu-hong, Zhu Jian-zhong, Qian Han-guang, Zhao Ji-dong

Cell Laboratory, Third People’s Hospital of Wuxi, Wuxi 214041, Jiangsu Province, China

Miao Zong-ning★, Master, Technician-in-charge, Cell Laboratory, Third People’s Hospital of Wuxi, Wuxi 214041, Jiangsu Province, China
zongningm@yahoo. com.cn

Received: 2008-05-13
Accepted: 2008-06-25

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Silk fibroin has been proved to be a good scaffold of three-dimensional culture of the cells.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of repairing the articular cartilage defects using silk fibroin with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.
DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: This study was a randomized control animal experiment and completed in Jiangsu Blood Fluke and Parasitosis Prevention and Cure Institute from August 2006 to November 2007.
MATERIALS: Full-thickness defects in the femoral condyles were established in 27 New Zealand adult rabbits, which weighing 1.5-2.0 kg and irrespective of the genders. Silk fibroin was provided by Professor Li Ming-zhong from Materials College of Soochow University.
METHODS: Rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were isolated, cultured and induced to differentiate into chondrocytes, which were then cultured with silk fibroin membrane to create the defects in the femoral condyles of rabbit knee joints. Twenty-seven rabbits were divided into three groups at randomly, and every group contain nine rabbits. The compound group was implanted with cell/silk fibroin compound; Silk fibroin group was only implanted with silk fibroin; Blank group was left untreated.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The growth condition of chondrocytes was observed by scanning electron microscope. The animals were sacrificed in 4, 8 and 12 weeks after operation, respectively to observe the reparation condition.
RESULTS: The induced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells grew well on silk fibroin membrane. In the compound group, chondrocyte-like cells emerged in rabbit knee joints and extracellular matrix was extremely rich in 8 weeks; The color of repaired tissues was closed to surrounding cartilage. There was no evidence of the residue of silk fibroin and the infiltration of lymphocytes or leukocytes in 12 weeks specimens, and no obvious deterioration as well. In the silk fibroin group, defects were repaired with cartilago fibrosa and the defects were no repaired in the blank group.
CONCLUSION: The method of repairing the full-thickness hyaline cartilage defects using silk fibroin with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells is feasible, and the silk fibroin can be used as scaffold materials in articular cartilage tissue engineering due to good biocompatibility.

Miao ZN, Pan YH, Zhu JZ, Qian HG, Zhao JD.Constructing tissue engineered cartilage with silk fibroin compound bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.Zhongguo Zuzhi Gongcheng Yanjiu yu Linchuang Kangfu 2008;12(27):5243-5247
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