Bioactive scaffolds are used in cartilage regeneration for providing an environment conducive to chondrogenic differentiation and proliferation of stem cells in vitro and in vivo. This study aimed to develop a composite scaffold comprising silk fibroin (SF) and cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM), which could not only preserve the biological activity of the original ECM, which promotes chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), but also could provide great mechanical strength. To this end, we manufactured scaffolds containing different ratios of SF and ECM (1:4, 1:2, and 1:1 SF-ECM) by lyophilization with a novel crosslinking method. The results showed improved mechanical strength with increasing SF concentrations. Compared to the ECM control, the SF-ECM scaffolds allowed a greater increase in glycosaminoglycan and collagen concentrations in vitro. According to histological findings, the SF-ECM scaffolds exhibited significant biocompatibility and provided an environment for cartilage regeneration after transplantation in vivo. The SF-ECM scaffolds also possessed good biomechanical properties and the ability to promote chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs. These findings open up new possibilities for evaluating SF-ECM scaffolds as potential candidates for cartilage regeneration.
Impact Statement
This study presented a new method to fabricate SF-ECM scaffolds that potentially promote chondrogenesis of BMSCs, and open up new possibilities for using SF-ECM scaffolds as an off-the-shelf strategy for joint cartilage regeneration. It is worthy of further investigation in knee joints of animals, and beyond knee cartilage, this scaffold may also serve as an ideal biomaterial for the regeneration of other joint cartilages.
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