Tracking in vitro biodegradation dynamics in cartilage tissue engineering using dual-labelled hydrogel/scaffold composites.

Abstract

This study addresses the challenges of tracking cell-mediated biodegradation in cartilage tissue engineering. where hydrogels and scaffolds play a crucial role in providing structural support and promoting tissue regeneration. This research area has been rarely studied, offering potential insights into bridging the gap between in vitro and in vivo conditions for real-time monitoring of tissue regeneration alongside biodegradation. We developed dual-labelled hydrogel/scaffold composites for real-time monitoring of scaffold degradation in response to cell activity. Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels are extensively explored for cartilage tissue engineering, albeit concerns remain regarding their mechanical properties under load-bearing conditions. To address this, a Hydrogel/Scaffold composite system was employed in this study, where a poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) hex prism edge structure acts as a scaffold supports of the cell-laden GelMA hydrogel. Fluorophore labelling of GelMA and PCL facilitated non-invasive monitoring of the Hydrogel/Scaffold composite biodegradation under cell proliferation conditions. Initially, the behaviour of fluorescent-tagged Hydrogel/Scaffold was examined under accelerated degradation conditions. Subsequently, human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) loaded into fluorescent-labelled hydrogel/scaffolds were evaluated for their biocompatibility potential and chondrogenesis. Results demonstrated a correlation between the loss of fluorescence from Hydrogel/Scaffold degradation, accompanied by extracellular matrix accumulation. The fluorescently labelled hydrogel/scaffold holds promising application for cartilage tissue engineering, offering the capability to monitor biodegradation using high-throughput and contactless techniques. .