Cell mediated reactions create TGF-β delivery limitations in engineered cartilage

During native cartilage development, endogenous TGF-β activity is tightly regulated by cell-mediated chemical reactions in the extracellular milieu (e.g., matrix and receptor binding), providing spatiotemporal control in a manner that is localized and short acting. These regulatory paradigms appear to be at odds with TGF-β delivery needs in tissue engineering (TE) where administered TGF-β is required to transport long distances or reside in tissues for extended durations. In this study, we perform a novel examination of the influence of cell-mediated reactions on the spatiotemporal distribution of administered TGF-β in cartilage TE applications. Reaction rates of TGF-β binding to cell-deposited ECM and TGF-β internalization by cell receptors are experimentally characterized in bovine chondrocyte-seeded tissue constructs. TGF-β binding to the construct ECM exhibits non-linear Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) adsorption behavior, indicating that as many as seven TGF-β molecules can aggregate at a binding site. Cell-mediated TGF-β internalization rates exhibit a biphasic trend, following a Michaelis–Menten relation ($V_{max}$ = 2.4 molecules cell^-1 s^-1, $K_m$ = 1.7 ng mL^-1) at low ligand doses (≤130 ng/mL), but exhibit an unanticipated non-saturating power trend at higher doses (≥130 ng/mL). Computational models are developed to illustrate the influence of these reactions on TGF-β spatiotemporal delivery profiles for conventional TGF-β administration platforms. For TGF-β delivery via supplementation in culture medium, these reactions give rise to pronounced steady state TGF-β spatial gradients; TGF-β concentration decays by ∼90 % at a depth of only 500 μm from the media-exposed surface. For TGF-β delivery via heparin-conjugated affinity scaffolds, cell mediated internalization reactions significantly reduce the TGF-β scaffold retention time (160–360-fold reduction) relative to acellular heparin scaffolds. This work establishes the significant limitations that cell-mediated chemical reactions engender for TGF-β delivery and highlights the need for novel delivery platforms that account for these reactions to achieve optimal TGF-β exposure profiles.

Statement of significance

During native cartilage development, endogenous TGF-β activity is tightly regulated by cell-mediated chemical reactions in the extracellular milieu (e.g., matrix and receptor binding), providing spatiotemporal control in a manner that is localized and short acting. However, the effect of these reactions on the delivery of exogenous TGF-β to engineered cartilage tissues remains not well understood. In this study, we demonstrate that cell-mediated reactions significantly restrict the delivery of TGF-β to cells in engineered cartilage tissue constructs. For delivery via media supplementation, reactions significantly limit TGF-β penetration into constructs. For delivery via scaffold loading, reactions significantly limit TGF-β residence time in constructs. Overall, these results illustrate the impact of cell-mediated chemical reactions on TGF-β delivery profiles and support the importance of accounting for these reactions when designing TGF-β delivery platforms for promoting cartilage regeneration.