The tissue engineering of tendon was studied using highly elastic PLCL [poly(L-lactideco-µ-caprolactone)] scaffolds and focusing on the effect of dynamic tensile stimulation. Tenocytes from rabbit Achilles tendon were seeded (1.0 x 106 cells/scaffold) into porous PLCL scaffolds and cultured for periods of 2 weeks and 4 weeks. This was performed in a static system and also in a bioreactor equipped with tensile modulation which mimicked the environmental surroundings of tendons with respect to tensile extension. The degradation of the polymeric scaffolds during the culture was relatively slow. However, there was an indication that cells accelerated the degradation of PLCL scaffolds. The scaffolds/cell adducts from the static culture exhibited inferior strength (at 2 weeks: 350 kPa, 4 weeks: 300 kPa) compared to the control without cells (at 2 weeks: 460 kPa, 4 weeks: 340 kPa) indicating the contribution of cells for the enhanced degradation. On the contrary, those from the dynamic culture (at 2 weeks: 430 kPa, 4 weeks: 370 kPa) were similar to, or higher than, those from the control. This would be explained by the increased quantity of cells and neo-tissues in the case of dynamic culture compensating for the loss in tensile strength. Compared with static and dynamic culture conditions, mechanical stimulation played a crucial role in the regeneration of tendon tissue. In the case of the dynamic culture system, cell proliferation was enhanced and secretion of collagen type I was increased, as evidenced by DNA assay and histological or mmunofluorescence analysis. Thus tendon regeneration, indicated by improved mechanical and biological properties, was demonstrated, confirming the effect of mechanical stimulation. It could be concluded that the dynamic tensile stimulation appeared to be an essential factor in tendon/ligament tissue engineering, and that elastic PLCL copolymers would be very beneficial to conduct such an investigation.
Regeneration of Achilles Tendon: The Role of Dynamic Stimulation for Enhanced Cell Proliferation and Mechanical Properties
Guarino V;Gloria A;Ambrosio L;
2010
Abstract
The tissue engineering of tendon was studied using highly elastic PLCL [poly(L-lactideco-µ-caprolactone)] scaffolds and focusing on the effect of dynamic tensile stimulation. Tenocytes from rabbit Achilles tendon were seeded (1.0 x 106 cells/scaffold) into porous PLCL scaffolds and cultured for periods of 2 weeks and 4 weeks. This was performed in a static system and also in a bioreactor equipped with tensile modulation which mimicked the environmental surroundings of tendons with respect to tensile extension. The degradation of the polymeric scaffolds during the culture was relatively slow. However, there was an indication that cells accelerated the degradation of PLCL scaffolds. The scaffolds/cell adducts from the static culture exhibited inferior strength (at 2 weeks: 350 kPa, 4 weeks: 300 kPa) compared to the control without cells (at 2 weeks: 460 kPa, 4 weeks: 340 kPa) indicating the contribution of cells for the enhanced degradation. On the contrary, those from the dynamic culture (at 2 weeks: 430 kPa, 4 weeks: 370 kPa) were similar to, or higher than, those from the control. This would be explained by the increased quantity of cells and neo-tissues in the case of dynamic culture compensating for the loss in tensile strength. Compared with static and dynamic culture conditions, mechanical stimulation played a crucial role in the regeneration of tendon tissue. In the case of the dynamic culture system, cell proliferation was enhanced and secretion of collagen type I was increased, as evidenced by DNA assay and histological or mmunofluorescence analysis. Thus tendon regeneration, indicated by improved mechanical and biological properties, was demonstrated, confirming the effect of mechanical stimulation. It could be concluded that the dynamic tensile stimulation appeared to be an essential factor in tendon/ligament tissue engineering, and that elastic PLCL copolymers would be very beneficial to conduct such an investigation.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
