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Enhanced articular cartilage by human mesenchymal stem cells in enzymatically mediated transiently RGDS-functionalized collagen-mimetic hydrogels.

ABSTRACT: Recapitulation of the articular cartilage microenvironment for regenerative medicine applications faces significant challenges due to the complex and dynamic biochemical and biomechanical nature of native tissue. Towards the goal of biomaterial designs that enable the temporal presentation of bioactive sequences, recombinant bacterial collagens such as Streptococcal collagen-like 2 (Scl2) proteins can be employed to incorporate multiple specific bioactive and biodegradable peptide motifs into a single construct. Here, we first modified the backbone of Scl2 with glycosaminoglycan-binding peptides and cross-linked the modified Scl2 into hydrogels via matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7)-cleavable or non-cleavable scrambled peptides. The cross-linkers were further functionalized with a tethered RGDS peptide creating a system whereby the release from an MMP7-cleavable hydrogel could be compared to a system where release is not possible. The release of the RGDS peptide from the degradable hydrogels led to significantly enhanced expression of collagen type II (3.9-fold increase), aggrecan (7.6-fold increase), and SOX9 (5.2-fold increase) by human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) undergoing chondrogenesis, as well as greater extracellular matrix accumulation compared to non-degradable hydrogels (collagen type II; 3.2-fold increase, aggrecan; 4-fold increase, SOX9; 2.8-fold increase). Hydrogels containing a low concentration of the RGDS peptide displayed significantly decreased collagen type I and X gene expression profiles, suggesting a major advantage over either hydrogels functionalized with a higher RGDS peptide concentration, or non-degradable hydrogels, in promoting an articular cartilage phenotype. These highly versatile Scl2 hydrogels can be further manipulated to improve specific elements of the chondrogenic response by hMSCs, through the introduction of additional bioactive and/or biodegradable motifs. As such, these hydrogels have the possibility to be used for other applications in tissue engineering.Recapitulating aspects of the native tissue biochemical microenvironment faces significant challenges in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering due to the complex and dynamic nature of the tissue. The ability to take advantage of, mimic, and modulate cell-mediated processes within novel naturally-derived hydrogels is of great interest in the field of biomaterials to generate constructs that more closely resemble the biochemical microenvironment and functions of native biological tissues such as articular cartilage. Towards this goal, the temporal presentation of bioactive sequences such as RGDS on the chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells is considered important as it has been shown to influence the chondrogenic phenotype. Here, a novel and versatile platform to recreate a high degree of biological complexity is proposed, which could also be applicable to other tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

SUBMITTER: Parmar PA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5360098 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Enhanced articular cartilage by human mesenchymal stem cells in enzymatically mediated transiently RGDS-functionalized collagen-mimetic hydrogels.

Parmar Paresh A PA St-Pierre Jean-Philippe JP Chow Lesley W LW Spicer Christopher D CD Stoichevska Violet V Peng Yong Y YY Werkmeister Jerome A JA Ramshaw John A M JAM Stevens Molly M MM

Acta biomaterialia 20170110

Recapitulation of the articular cartilage microenvironment for regenerative medicine applications faces significant challenges due to the complex and dynamic biochemical and biomechanical nature of native tissue. Towards the goal of biomaterial designs that enable the temporal presentation of bioactive sequences, recombinant bacterial collagens such as Streptococcal collagen-like 2 (Scl2) proteins can be employed to incorporate multiple specific bioactive and biodegradable peptide motifs into a ...[more]

PMID: 28087486

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Project description:Tissue engineering strategies for repairing and regenerating articular cartilage face critical challenges to recapitulate the dynamic and complex biochemical microenvironment of native tissues. One approach to mimic the biochemical complexity of articular cartilage is through the use of recombinant bacterial collagens as they provide a well-defined biological 'blank template' that can be modified to incorporate bioactive and biodegradable peptide sequences within a precisely defined three-dimensional system. We customized the backbone of a Streptococcal collagen-like 2 (Scl2) protein with heparin-binding, integrin-binding, and hyaluronic acid-binding peptide sequences previously shown to modulate chondrogenesis and then cross-linked the recombinant Scl2 protein with a combination of matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7)- and aggrecanase (ADAMTS4)-cleavable peptides at varying ratios to form biodegradable hydrogels with degradation characteristics matching the temporal expression pattern of these enzymes in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) during chondrogenesis. hMSCs encapsulated within the hydrogels cross-linked with both degradable peptides exhibited enhanced chondrogenic characteristics as demonstrated by gene expression and extracellular matrix deposition compared to the hydrogels cross-linked with a single peptide. Additionally, these combined peptide hydrogels displayed increased MMP7 and ADAMTS4 activities and yet increased compression moduli after 6 weeks, suggesting a positive correlation between the degradation of the hydrogels and the accumulation of matrix by hMSCs undergoing chondrogenesis. Our results suggest that including dual degradation motifs designed to respond to enzymatic activity of hMSCs going through chondrogenic differentiation led to improvements in chondrogenesis. Our hydrogel system demonstrates a bimodal enzymatically degradable biological platform that can mimic native cellular processes in a temporal manner. As such, this novel collagen-mimetic protein, cross-linked via multiple enzymatically degradable peptides, provides a highly adaptable and well defined platform to recapitulate a high degree of biological complexity, which could be applicable to numerous tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

Project description:BackgroundArticular cartilage (AC) is the layer of tissue that covers the articulating ends of the bones in diarthrodial joints. Across species, adult AC shows an arcade-like structure with collagen predominantly perpendicular to the subchondral bone near the bone, and collagen predominantly parallel to the articular surface near the articular surface. Recent studies into collagen fibre orientation in stillborn and juvenile animals showed that this structure is absent at birth. Since the collagen structure is an important factor for AC mechanics, the absence of the adult Benninghoff structure has implications for perinatal AC mechanobiology. The current objective is to quantify the dynamics of collagen network development in a model animal from birth to maturity. We further aim to show the presence or absence of zonal differentiation at birth, and to assess differences in collagen network development between different anatomical sites of a single joint surface. We use quantitative polarised light microscopy to investigate properties of the collagen network and we use the sheep (Ovis aries) as our model animal.ResultsPredominant collagen orientation is parallel to the articular surface throughout the tissue depth for perinatal cartilage. This remodels to the Benninghoff structure before the sheep reach sexual maturity. Remodelling of predominant collagen orientation starts at a depth just below the future transitional zone. Tissue retardance shows a minimum near the articular surface at all ages, which indicates the presence of zonal differentiation at all ages. The absolute position of this minimum does change between birth and maturity. Between different anatomical sites, we find differences in the dynamics of collagen remodelling, but no differences in adult collagen structure.ConclusionsThe collagen network in articular cartilage remodels between birth and sexual maturity from a network with predominant orientation parallel to the articular surface to a Benninghoff network. The retardance minimum near, but not at, the articular surface at all ages shows that a zonal differentiation is already present in the perinatal animals. In these animals, the zonal differentiation can not be correlated to the collagen network orientation. We find no difference in adult collagen structure in the nearly congruent metacarpophalangeal joint, but we do find differences in the dynamics of collagen network remodelling.

Project description:Articular cartilage has limited capacity for regeneration and when damaged cannot be repaired with currently available metallic or synthetic implants. We aim to bioengineer a microfibre-reinforced hydrogel that can capture the zonal depth-dependent mechanical properties of native cartilage, and simultaneously support neo-cartilage formation. With this goal, a sophisticated bi-layered microfibre architecture, combining a densely distributed crossed fibre mat (superficial tangential zone, STZ) and a uniform box structure (middle and deep zone, MDZ), was successfully manufactured via melt electrospinning and combined with a gelatin-methacrylamide hydrogel. The inclusion of a thin STZ layer greatly increased the composite construct's peak modulus under both incongruent (3.2-fold) and congruent (2.1-fold) loading, as compared to hydrogels reinforced with only a uniform MDZ structure. Notably, the stress relaxation response of the bi-layered composite construct was comparable to the tested native cartilage tissue. Furthermore, similar production of sulphated glycosaminoglycans and collagen II was observed for the novel composite constructs cultured under mechanical conditioning w/o TGF-ß1 supplementation and in static conditions w/TGF-ß1 supplementation, which confirmed the capability of the novel composite construct to support neo-cartilage formation upon mechanical stimulation. To conclude, these results are an important step towards the design and manufacture of biomechanically competent implants for cartilage regeneration. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Damage to articular cartilage results in severe pain and joint disfunction that cannot be treated with currently available implants. This study presents a sophisticated bioengineered bi-layered fibre reinforced cell-laden hydrogel that can approximate the functional mechanical properties of native cartilage. For the first time, the importance of incorporating a viable superficial tangential zone (STZ) - like structure to improve the load-bearing properties of bioengineered constructs, particularly when in-congruent surfaces are compressed, is demonstrated. The present work also provides new insights for the development of implants that are able to promote and guide new cartilaginous tissue formation upon physiologically relevant mechanical stimulation.

Dataset Information

Enhanced articular cartilage by human mesenchymal stem cells in enzymatically mediated transiently RGDS-functionalized collagen-mimetic hydrogels.

Publications

Enhanced articular cartilage by human mesenchymal stem cells in enzymatically mediated transiently RGDS-functionalized collagen-mimetic hydrogels.

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