High mesenchymal stem cell seeding densities in hyaluronic acid hydrogels produce engineered cartilage with native tissue properties.

Engineered cartilage based on adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is an alluring goal for the repair of articular defects. However, efforts to date have failed to generate constructs with sufficient mechanical properties to function in the demanding environment of the joint. Our findings with a novel photocrosslinked hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel suggest that stiff gels (high HA concentration, 5% w/v) foster chondrogenic differentiation and matrix production, but limit overall functional maturation due to the inability of the formed matrix to diffuse away from the point of production and form a contiguous network.

Improved cartilage repair via in vitro pre-maturation of MSC-seeded hyaluronic acid hydrogels.

Functional repair of focal cartilage defects requires filling the space with neotissue that has compressive properties comparable to native tissue and integration with adjacent host cartilage. While poor integration is a common complication with current clinical treatments, reports of tissue engineering advances in the development of functional compressive properties rarely include analyses of their potential for integration. Our objective was thus to assess both the maturation and integration of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-laden hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels in an in vitro cartilage defect model.