An enzymatically crosslinked collagen type II/hyaluronic acid hybrid hydrogel: A biomimetic cell delivery system for cartilage tissue engineering

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Nov;279(Pt 1):134614. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134614. Epub 2024 Aug 9.

Abstract

This study presents new injectable hydrogels based on hyaluronic acid and collagen type II that mimic the polysaccharide-protein structure of natural cartilage. After collagen isolation from chicken sternal cartilage, tyramine-grafted hyaluronic acid and collagen type II (HA-Tyr and COL-II-Tyr) were synthesized. Hybrid hydrogels were prepared with different ratios of HA-Tyr/COL-II-Tyr using horseradish peroxidase and noncytotoxic concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to encapsulate human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hBM-MSCs). The findings showed that a higher HA-Tyr content resulted in a higher storage modulus and a lower hydrogel shrinkage, resulting in hydrogel swelling. Incorporating COL-II-Tyr into HA-Tyr hydrogels induced a more favorable microenvironment for hBM-MSCs chondrogenic differentiation. Compared to HA-Tyr alone, the hybrid HA-Tyr/COL-II-Tyr hydrogel promoted enhanced chondrocyte adhesion, spreading, proliferation, and upregulation of cartilage-related gene expression. These results highlight the promising potential of injectable HA-Tyr/COL-II-Tyr hybrid hydrogels to deliver cells for cartilage regeneration.

Keywords: Biomimetic materials; Cell encapsulation; Collagen type II; Enzymatic crosslinking; Tissue engineering.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomimetic Materials / chemistry
  • Biomimetic Materials / pharmacology
  • Cartilage* / cytology
  • Cartilage* / drug effects
  • Cartilage* / metabolism
  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Chondrocytes / cytology
  • Chondrocytes / drug effects
  • Chondrocytes / metabolism
  • Chondrogenesis / drug effects
  • Collagen Type II* / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Hyaluronic Acid* / chemistry
  • Hyaluronic Acid* / pharmacology
  • Hydrogels* / chemistry
  • Hydrogels* / pharmacology
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells* / cytology
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells* / drug effects
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells* / metabolism
  • Tissue Engineering* / methods
  • Tyramine / chemistry
  • Tyramine / pharmacology

Substances

  • Hyaluronic Acid
  • Collagen Type II
  • Hydrogels
  • Tyramine