Stiffening by Osmotic Swelling Constraint in Cartilage-Like Cell Culture Scaffolds

Offeddu, Giovanni S.; Tanase, Constantin E.; Toumpaniari, Sotiria; Oyen, Michelle L.; Cameron, Ruth E.

Abstract

Abstract Cartilage wounds result in chronic pain and degradation of the quality of life for millions of people. A synthetic cellular scaffold able to heal the damage by substituting the natural tissue is of great potential value. Here, it is shown for the first time that the unique interplay between the molecular components of cartilage can be reproduced in composite materials made of a polyelectrolyte hydrogel embedding a collagen scaffold. These composites possess a mechanical response determined by osmotic and electrostatic effects, comparable to articular cartilage in terms of elastic modulus, time-dependent response, and permeability to interstitial fluid flow. Made entirely from biocompatible materials, the cartilage-like composite materials developed permit 3D culture of chondrocyte-like cells through their microporosity. The biomimetic materials presented here constitute an entirely new class of osmotically stiffened composites, which may find use outside of biomedical applications.

Citation

Offeddu, G. S., Tanase, C. E., Toumpaniari, S., Oyen, M. L., & Cameron, R. E. (2018). Stiffening by Osmotic Swelling Constraint in Cartilage-Like Cell Culture Scaffolds. Macromolecular Bioscience, 18, Article 1800247. https://doi.org/10.1002/mabi.201800247

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 2, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Sep 6, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018-11
• Deposit Date: Mar 15, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 17, 2021
• Journal: Macromolecular Bioscience
• Print ISSN: 1616-5187
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Article Number: 1800247
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mabi.201800247
• Keywords: biomimetic cell microenvironments, collagen, composite materials, mechanical properties, polyelectrolytes
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3961223
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mabi.201800247