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An enzyme-sensitive PEG hydrogel based on aggrecan catabolism for cartilage tissue engineering.

ABSTRACT: A new cartilage-specific degradable hydrogel based on photoclickable thiol-ene poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels is presented. The hydrogel crosslinks are composed of the peptide, CRDTEGE-ARGSVIDRC, derived from the aggrecanase-cleavable site in aggrecan. This new hydrogel is evaluated for use in cartilage tissue engineering by encapsulating bovine chondrocytes from different cell sources (skeletally immature (juvenile) and mature (adult) donors and adult cells stimulated with proinflammatory lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) and culturing for 12 weeks. Regardless of cell source, a twofold decrease in compressive modulus is observed by 12 weeks, but without significant hydrogel swelling indicating limited bulk degradation. For juvenile cells, a connected matrix rich in aggrecan and collagen II, but minimal collagens I and X is observed. For adult cells, less matrix, but similar quality, is deposited. Aggrecanase activity is elevated, although without accelerating bulk hydrogel degradation. LPS further decreases matrix production, but does not affect aggrecanase activity. In contrast, matrix deposition in the nondegradable hydrogels consists of aggrecan and collagens I, II, and X, indicative of hypertrophic cartilage. Lastly, no inflammatory response in chondrocytes is observed by the aggrecanase-sensitive hydrogels. Overall, it is demonstrated that this new aggrecanase-sensitive hydrogel, which is degradable by chondrocytes and promotes a hyaline-like engineered cartilage, is promising for cartilage regeneration.

SUBMITTER: Skaalure SC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4516272 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An enzyme-sensitive PEG hydrogel based on aggrecan catabolism for cartilage tissue engineering.

Skaalure Stacey C SC Chu Stanley S Bryant Stephanie J SJ

Advanced healthcare materials 20141008 3

A new cartilage-specific degradable hydrogel based on photoclickable thiol-ene poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels is presented. The hydrogel crosslinks are composed of the peptide, CRDTEGE-ARGSVIDRC, derived from the aggrecanase-cleavable site in aggrecan. This new hydrogel is evaluated for use in cartilage tissue engineering by encapsulating bovine chondrocytes from different cell sources (skeletally immature (juvenile) and mature (adult) donors and adult cells stimulated with proinflammator ...[more]

PMID: 25296398

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Project description:UnlabelledPhotopolymerizable and hydrolytically labile poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels formed from photo-clickable reactions were investigated as cell delivery platforms for cartilage tissue engineering (TE). PEG hydrogels were formed from thiol-norbornene PEG macromers whereby the crosslinks contained caprolactone segments with hydrolytically labile ester linkages. Juvenile bovine chondrocytes encapsulated in the hydrogels were cultured for up to four weeks and assessed biochemically and histologically, using standard destructive assays, and for mechanical and ultrasound properties, as nondestructive assays. Bulk degradation of acellular hydrogels was confirmed by a decrease in compressive modulus and an increase in mass swelling ratio over time. Chondrocytes deposited increasing amounts of sulfated glycosaminoglycans and collagens in the hydrogels with time. Spatially, collagen type II and aggrecan were present in the neotissue with formation of a territorial matrix beginning at day 21. Nondestructive measurements revealed an 8-fold increase in compressive modulus from days 7 to 28, which correlated with total collagen content. Ultrasound measurements revealed changes in the constructs over time, which differed from the mechanical properties, and appeared to correlate with ECM structure and organization shown by immunohistochemical analysis. Overall, non-destructive and destructive measurements show that this new hydrolytically degradable PEG hydrogel is promising for cartilage TE.Statement of significanceDesigning synthetic hydrogels whose degradation matches tissue growth is critical to maintaining mechanical integrity as the hydrogel degrades and new tissue forms, but is challenging due to the nature of the hydrogel crosslinks that inhibit diffusion of tissue matrix molecules. This study details a promising, new, photo-clickable and synthetic hydrogel whose degradation supports cartilaginous tissue matrix growth leading to the formation of a territorial matrix, concomitant with an increase in mechanical properties. Nondestructive assays based on mechanical and ultrasonic properties were also investigated using a novel instrument and found to correlate with matrix deposition and evolution. In sum, this study presents a new hydrogel platform combined with nondestructive assessments, which together have potential for in vitro cartilage tissue engineering.

Project description:Although ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 are the principal aggrecanases in mice and humans, mice lacking both these enzymes (ADAMTS-4/-5Dcat) are healthy, viable, with no overt skeletal phenotype, suggesting the presence of an alternative aggrecanase in these mice. We previously identified a novel aggrecanase activity that was regulated by retinoic acid, but not IL-1a. The upregulated activity cleaved aggrecan at E↓A bonds. This study aimed to identify the alternative aggrecanase. Femoral head cartilage from TS-4/5Dcat mice was stimulated with IL-1a or retinoic acid and total RNA was analysed by microarray. Candidate, upregulated genes identified by Quantile Normalisation included ADAMTS, MMPm cathepsin and calpain families as putative aggrecanases. Three criteria, including quantitative RT-PCR analyses, sensitivity to retinoic acid treatment and sensitivity to TIMP-3 inhibition, were then used as readouts to identify candidate extracellular proteinases whose mRNA expression levels were increased by retinoic acid, but not by IL-1a treatment. Thereafter, gene silencing was used to identify the most likely aggrecanase in chondrocytes from TS-4/5Dcat mice. Aggrecanase activity was monitored by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry with neoepitope antibodies. The microarray analyses identified ADAMTS-9, MMP-11 and calpain-5 as candidate aggrecanases that were upregulated by retinoic acid. While qPCR confirmed this finding, calpain 5 was excluded from the candidate list because it was not inhibited by TIMP-3. MMP-11 was also excluded because it was upregulated by IL-1a. ADAMTS-9 therefore emerged as a candidate for the novel aggrecanase. Gene silencing confirmed ADAMTS-9 as the putative aggrecanase. Immunohistochemistry revealed that ADAMTS-9 in mouse knee joints was expressed in the proliferative zone of both wildtype and TS-4/5Dcat growth plates, and also in the calcified cartilage of the wildtype hypertrophic zone. In conclusion, ADAMTS-9 is an aggrecanase that cleaves at FREEE1467↓1468GLGS in the chondroitin sulphate-rich region of aggrecan.

Dataset Information

An enzyme-sensitive PEG hydrogel based on aggrecan catabolism for cartilage tissue engineering.

Publications

An enzyme-sensitive PEG hydrogel based on aggrecan catabolism for cartilage tissue engineering.

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