Differentiation of equine mesenchymal stem cells into cells of osteochondral lineage: potential for osteochondral tissue engineering.

Damage to the hyaline cartilage of the joint surface and osteochondral fractures are key factors leading to the development of osteoarthritis in racehorses, representing a significant cause of racehorse retirement. To tissue-engineer an osteochondral unit that is suitable for joint repair, incorporation of a zone of calcified cartilage should be considered so as to mimic itscounterpart. To date, equine mesenchymal stem cells (eMSCs) have been reported to have multilineage differentiation potential.

Bioengineering a multicomponent spinal motion segment construct--a 3D model for complex tissue engineering.

Intervertebral disc degeneration is an important clinical problem but existing treatments have significant drawbacks. The ability to bioengineer the entire spinal motion segment (SMS) offers hope for better motion preservation strategies but is extremely challenging. Here, fabrication of a multicomponent SMS construct with complex hierarchical organization from mesenchymal stem cells and collagen-based biomaterials, using a module-based integrative approach, is reported.

Correlation between compositional and mechanical properties of human mesenchymal stem cell-collagen microspheres during chondrogenic differentiation.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based engineering is promising for cartilage repair. However, the compositional mechanical relationship of the engineered structures has not been extensively studied, given the importance of such relationship in native cartilage tissues. In this study, a novel human MSC-collagen microsphere system was used to study the compositional mechanical relationship during in vitro chondrogenic differentiation using histological and biochemical methods and a microplate compression assay.