Preparation and Characterization of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-chondroitin Sulphate Hydrogel as Scaffolds for Articular Cartilage Regeneration

The aim of the study was to develop PVA-CS hydrogel scaffolds using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent by chemical cross-linking method in order to obtain biomimetic scaffolds for articular cartilage regeneration. The introduction of PVA enhances the mechanical and bioadhesive properties to the native tissue while chondroitin sulphate enhances the glycosaminoglycan content of extracellular matrix. The role of hydrogel as cartilage regeneration scaffold was evaluated by swelling study, porosity, rheological behaviour, in vitro degradation, and quantification of released chondroitin sulphate. In vivo results showed that cross-linked hydrogels repaired defects with no sign of inflammation as it was well anchored to tissue in the formation of new articular surface. It may be concluded that the addition of chondroitin sulphate to the PVA polymer develops a novel composite with significant applications in cartilage tissue engineering.