Shamimur R Akanda, Christopher Walter, Alexandra L Davis, Liufang Jing, Amit Pathak, Lori A Setton
{"title":"Interspecies Comparison of Multilayer Mechanical Properties of Synovium Using Atomic Force Microscopy.","authors":"Shamimur R Akanda, Christopher Walter, Alexandra L Davis, Liufang Jing, Amit Pathak, Lori A Setton","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0221","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0221","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The synovium is a loose connective tissue that separates the intra-articular (IA) joint compartments of all diarthrodial joints from the systemic circulation. It can be divided into two layers: the intima, a thin and cell-dense layer atop a more heterogeneous subintima, composed of collagen and various cell types. The subintima contains penetrating capillaries and lymphatic vessels that rapidly clear injected drugs from the joint space which may vary not only with drug size and charge but also with the microstructure and composition of the intima and subintima of the synovium. Prior work has measured the mechanical properties and solute diffusivities in the synovium of porcine, bovine, and human joints. Here, we measured the Young's moduli of synovium from smaller joints of the rat knee, as well as pig and human, using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The format for AFM enabled testing of intima and subintimal regions of synovium in all three species. The Young's moduli of the subintimal regions were similar across all three species (1-1.5 kPa). Furthermore, there was little evidence of differences in Young's moduli between synovium from the intima and subintima in each species. A general similarity of data from AFM testing with moduli measured with bulk testing of pig and human synovium suggests that AFM can be useful to measure the mechanical properties of smaller joint synovium and spatial variations in stiffness with depth. Enzymatic digestion of synovium tissue from the pig was also performed with findings of lower moduli values following treatment with chondroitinase ABC but not collagenase. Although the molecular composition of the synovium is not yet fully characterized and may vary across species, these findings suggest that noncollagenous species contribute to AFM-measured properties in synovium. These are some of the first data to measure mechanical properties in small joint synovium and will be useful in models studying IA drug clearances in joints with pathology and following treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":"31 3-4","pages":"100-107"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11971542/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143416335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Farshid Guilak, Michael Detamore, Gabriela Espinosa, Jerry Hu
{"title":"Editorial: Prof. Kyriacos A. Athanasiou Special Issue.","authors":"Farshid Guilak, Michael Detamore, Gabriela Espinosa, Jerry Hu","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2025.0011","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2025.0011","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"83-86"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143191079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicolás F Metzler, Makoto Kondo, Keisuke Matsukura, Adam J Ford, David W Grainger, Teruo Okano
{"title":"Differentiated and Untreated Juvenile Chondrocyte Sheets Regenerate Cartilage Similarly <i>In Vivo</i>.","authors":"Nicolás F Metzler, Makoto Kondo, Keisuke Matsukura, Adam J Ford, David W Grainger, Teruo Okano","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0208","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0208","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease of articular cartilage and the leading cause of disability, is preceded by acute cartilage injury in a significant proportion of cases. Current auto- and allograft interventions are limited by supply and variability in therapeutic efficacy, prompting interest in tissue engineering solutions. Cell sheet tissue engineering, a scaffold-free regenerative technique, has shown promise in preclinical and clinical trials across various cell types and diseases. Polydactyly-derived juvenile cartilage-derived chondrocyte (JCC) sheets from juvenile patients are a potent cell source for developing allogeneic therapies. JCC sheets have proven safe and effective in animal models and as an add-on therapy in a recent clinical cartilage repair study. However, JCC <i>ex vivo</i> expansion leads to de-differentiation, contributing to long healing times. This study hypothesized that <i>in vitro</i> differentiation of JCC sheets into hyaline-like cartilage constructs could accelerate cartilage regeneration without compromising implant integration. To this end, sheet integration, maturation, and healing of conventionally prepared vs. differentiated JCC sheets were compared in an established nude rat focal chondral defect model. Differentiated JCC sheets exhibit mature cartilage phenotypes prior to transplant. Both conventional and differentiated JCC sheets are reliably transplanted without additional fixation. Histological evaluation reveals that both transplant groups produced equivalent neocartilage regeneration, filling defects with mature hyaline cartilage at 2- and 4-weeks post-transplant. Notably, differentiated JCC sheets respond to <i>in vivo</i> signals, undergoing matrix remodeling and integration with adjacent and subchondral tissue. Given equivalent healing outcomes, the future utility of <i>in vitro</i> JCC sheet predifferentiation from other JCC donors with different healing capacities should be balanced against their increased culture costs over conventional sheets.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"184-194"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of Release of TSG-6 from Heparin Hydrogels on Supraspinatus Muscle Regeneration.","authors":"Joseph J Pearson, Jiahui Mao, Johnna S Temenoff","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0241","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0241","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Muscle degeneration after rotator cuff tendon tear is a significant clinical problem. In these experiments, we developed a poly(ethylene glycol)-based injectable granular hydrogel containing two heparin derivatives (fully sulfated [Hep] and fully desulfated [Hep-]) as well as a matrix metalloproteinase-sensitive peptide to promote sustained release of tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene 6 (TSG-6) over 14+ days <i>in vivo</i> in a rat model of rotator cuff muscle injury. The hydrogel formulations demonstrated similar release profiles <i>in vivo</i>, thus facilitating comparisons between delivery from heparin derivatives on the level of tissue repair in two different areas of muscle (near the myotendious junction [MTJ] and in the muscle belly [MB]) that have been shown previously to have differing responses to rotator cuff tendon injury. We hypothesized that sustained delivery of TSG-6 would enhance the anti-inflammatory response following rotator cuff injury through macrophage polarization and that release from Hep would potentiate this effect throughout the muscle. Inflammatory/immune cells, satellite cells, and fibroadipogenic progenitor cells were analyzed by flow cytometry 3 and 7 days after injury and hydrogel injection, while metrics of muscle healing were examined via immunohistochemistry up to day 14. Results showed controlled delivery of TSG-6 from Hep caused heightened macrophage response (day 7 macrophages, 4.00 ± 1.85% single cells, M2a, 3.27 ± 1.95% single cells) and increased markers of early muscle regeneration (embryonic heavy chain staining) by day 7, particularly in the MTJ region of the muscle. This work provides a novel strategy for localized, controlled delivery of TSG-6 to enhance muscle healing after rotator cuff tear.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"195-207"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Connor Wright, Serafina Faith Zotter, Wei Shao Tung, Kristen Reikersdorfer, Andrew Homer, Nadim Kheir, Nikolaos Paschos
{"title":"Current Concepts and Clinical Applications in Cartilage Tissue Engineering.","authors":"Connor Wright, Serafina Faith Zotter, Wei Shao Tung, Kristen Reikersdorfer, Andrew Homer, Nadim Kheir, Nikolaos Paschos","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0300","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0300","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cartilage injuries are extremely common in the general population, and conventional interventions have failed to produce optimal results. Tissue engineering (TE) technology has been developed to produce neocartilage for use in a variety of cartilage-related conditions. However, progress in the field of cartilage TE has historically been difficult due to the high functional demand and avascular nature of the tissue. Recent advancements in cell sourcing, biostimulation, and scaffold technology have revolutionized the field and made the clinical application of this technology a reality. Cartilage engineering technology will continue to expand its horizons to fully integrate three-dimensional printing, gene editing, and optimal cell sourcing in the future. This review focuses on the recent advancements in the field of cartilage TE and the landscape of clinical treatments for a variety of cartilage-related conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"87-99"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142984785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Selection of Force Sensors for <i>In Situ</i> Measurement of Neotissue Microenvironments.","authors":"Marta Rodriguez Navas, Eric M Darling","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0192","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0192","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mechanical forces are a critical stimulus in both native and engineered tissues. Direct measurement of these microenvironmental forces has been challenging, particularly for cell-dense models. To address this, we previously developed hydrogel-based force sensors that are approximately the size of a cell and can be imaged over time to computationally assess the forces exerted by surrounding cells and matrix. The goal of this project was to identify how the physical characteristics of force sensors impact measurements. Sensors were varied in size, elastic modulus, and surface coating before being included in stem cell suspensions that then spontaneously self-assembled into spheroidal neotissues. Using this model of early mesenchymal condensation, we hypothesized that larger, softer sensors would provide greater sensitivity and precision, whereas protein coatings would influence the directionality of applied forces (tensile vs. compressive). These experiments were conducted using a high-content imaging system that allowed analysis of over a thousand sensors to evaluate the various conditions. Results indicated that measurement fidelity was highest for force sensors that had a diameter >20 µm and modulus ∼0.2 kPa. Extremely soft sensors deformed too much, whereas stiffer sensors deformed too little. Collagen and N-cadherin coatings, which replicated cell-matrix or cell-cell binding, respectively, allowed for tensile forces to be exerted on the sensors, with greater forces being observed for N-cadherin sensors in these highly cellular neotissue constructs. Uncoated sensors were universally compressed due to the lack of cell-sensor adhesion. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton lessened microenvironmental forces, whereas disruption of microtubules had no measurable effect. Potential future applications of the technology include studies of <i>in situ</i> forces in developing tissues as well as a real-time sensor for monitoring the growth of engineered constructs.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"164-173"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11971539/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142513913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Applications of Regenerative Tissue-Engineered Scaffolds for Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury.","authors":"Katherine J Bradshaw, Nic D Leipzig","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0194","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0194","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tissue engineering provides a path forward for emerging personalized medicine therapies as well as the ability to bring about cures for diseases or chronic injuries. Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are an example of a chronic injury in which no cure or complete functional recovery treatment has been developed. In part, this has been due to the complex and interconnected nature of the central nervous system (CNS), the cellular makeup, its extracellular matrix (ECM), and the injury site pathophysiology. One way to combat the complex nature of an SCI has been to create functional tissue-engineered scaffolds that replace or replenish the aspects of the CNS and tissue/ECM that are damaged following the immediate injury and subsequent immune response. This can be achieved by employing the tissue-engineering triad consisting of cells, biomaterial(s), and environmental factors. Stem cells, with their innate ability to proliferate and differentiate, are a common choice for cellular therapies. Natural or synthetic biomaterials that have tunable characteristics are normally used as the scaffold base. Environmental factors can range from drugs to growth factors (GFs) or proteins, depending on if the idea would be to stimulate exogeneous or endogenous cell populations or just simply retain cells on the scaffold for effective transplantation. For functional regeneration and integration for SCI, the scaffold must promote neuroprotection and neuroplasticity. Tissue-engineering strategies have shown benefits including neuronal differentiation, axonal regeneration, axonal outgrowth, integration into the native spinal cord, and partial functional recovery. Overall, this review focuses on the background that causes SCI to be so difficult to treat, the individual components of the tissue-engineering triad, and how combinatorial scaffolds can be beneficial toward the prospects of future SCI recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"108-125"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andy J Lee, Lianna R Gangi, Yizhong Jenny Hu, Andreea T Dinescu, X Edward Guo, Chantelle C Bozynski, Keiichi Kuroki, Aaron M Stoker, Kacey G Marra, Gerard A Ateshian, James L Cook, Clark T Hung
{"title":"Evaluation of Dexamethasone-Eluting Cell-Seeded Constructs in a Preclinical Canine Model of Cartilage Repair.","authors":"Andy J Lee, Lianna R Gangi, Yizhong Jenny Hu, Andreea T Dinescu, X Edward Guo, Chantelle C Bozynski, Keiichi Kuroki, Aaron M Stoker, Kacey G Marra, Gerard A Ateshian, James L Cook, Clark T Hung","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0244","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0244","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this 12-month long, preclinical large animal study using a canine model, we report that engineered osteochondral grafts (comprised of allogeneic chondrocyte-seeded hydrogels with the capacity for sustained release of the corticosteroid dexamethasone [DEX], cultured to functional mechanical properties, and incorporated over porous titanium bases), can successfully repair damaged cartilage. DEX release from within engineered cartilage was hypothesized to improve initial cartilage repair by modulating the local inflammatory environment, which was also associated with suppressed degenerative changes exhibited by menisci and synovium. We note that not all histological and clinical outcomes at an intermediary time point of three months paralleled 12-month outcomes, which emphasizes the importance of <i>in vivo</i> studies in valid preclinical models that incorporate clinically relevant follow-up durations. Together, our study demonstrates that engineered cartilage fabricated under the conditions reported herein can repair full-thickness cartilage defects and promote synovial joint health and function.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"208-218"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11971544/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142740856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sara Trbojevic, Juan M Taboas, Alejandro J Almarza
{"title":"TGFβ-1 and Healing of Bone Defects in Large Animal and Rabbit Models: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Sara Trbojevic, Juan M Taboas, Alejandro J Almarza","doi":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0226","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.tea.2024.0226","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Long bone and craniofacial bone fractures amount to an overwhelming expenditure for patients and health care systems each year. Overall, 5-10% of all bone fractures result in some form of delayed or nonunion fractures. Nonunions occur from insufficient mechanical stabilization or a compromised wound environment lacking in vasculature and progenitor cells. The current standard for treating these critical-sized fractures and defects is the use of autologous bone grafts. However, advancements in tissue engineering have cultivated a shift in scientific efforts toward harnessing the body's own regenerative resources. As such, research on fracture healing has shifted as well. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFβ-1) has been studied in fracture healing for over 25 years, though many of these studies have been <i>in vitro</i> or in small animal models. The few studies in large animals have disagreement due to the heterogeneity within the experimental design. Because TGFβ-1 plays such a crucial role in the bone healing process, this systematic review investigates the application of TGFβ-1 in various carrier vehicles for repairing bone injuries in large animal and rabbit models. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (from database construction-October 2024). A total of 244 articles were screened, and 24 studies were included for review. Most large animal long bone studies used coated titanium implants, while most rabbit long bone studies used some form of degradable polymer constructs. TGFβ-1 doses in large animal long bone studies range from 0.005 to 750 µg, doses in large animal calvaria and mandible studies range from 1 to 5000 µg, and doses in rabbit long bone studies range from 0.05 to 120 µg. Nineteen out of 24 articles reviewed indicate successful use of TGFβ-1 for bone regeneration compared with experimental controls. It is clear that dose and controlled release of growth factor play a crucial role in defect closure, but outcome measures and success criteria were inconsistent across studies. More studies with consistent experimental designs are critical for understanding the therapeutic potential of TGFβ-1 in fracture repair, but overall, this review indicates that TGFβ-1 can be used alone or in conjunction with other growth factors to accelerate successful bone repair.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"126-138"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142900834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Restoration of Pregnancy Function Using a GT/PCL Biofilm in a Rabbit Model of Uterine Injury.","authors":"Di Huang, Jing Liu, Jie Yang, Junhui Liang, Jing Zhang, Qinyu Han, Jianlong Yu, Tingting Yang, Qi Meng, Thorsten Steinberg, Changzhong Li, Zhongle Chang","doi":"10.1089/ten.TEA.2023.0366","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ten.TEA.2023.0366","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biomaterial scaffolds have been used successfully to promote the regenerative repair of small endometrial lesions in small rodents, providing partial restoration of gestational function. The use of rabbits in this study allowed us to investigate a larger endometrial tissue defect and myometrial injury model. A gelatin/polycaprolactone (GT/PCL) gradient-layer biofilm was sutured at the defect to guide the reconstruction of the original tissue structure. Twenty-eight days postimplantation, the uterine cavity had been restored to its original morphology, endometrial growth was accompanied by the formation of glands and blood vessels, and the fragmented myofibers of the uterine smooth muscle had begun to resemble the normal structure of the lagomorph uterine cavity, arranging in a circular luminal pattern and a longitudinal serosal pattern. In addition, the repair site supported both embryonic implantation into the placenta and normal embryonic development. Four-dimensional label-free proteomic analysis identified the cell adhesion molecules, phagosome, ferroptosis, rap1 signaling pathways, hematopoietic cell lineage, complement and coagulation cascades, tricarboxylic acid cycle, carbon metabolism, and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1 signaling pathways as important in the endogenous repair process of uterine tissue injury, and acetylation of protein modification sites upregulated these signaling pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":56375,"journal":{"name":"Tissue Engineering Part A","volume":" ","pages":"29-44"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140208371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}