Hydrophilic gelatin and hyaluronic acid-treated PLGA scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering.

Tissue engineering provides a new strategy for repairing damaged cartilage. Surface and mechanical properties of scaffolds play important roles in inducing cell growth.

Objective: The aim of this study was to fabricate and characterize PLGA and gelatin/hyaluronic acid-treated PLGA (PLGA-GH) sponge scaffolds for articular cartilage tissue engineering.

Methods: The PLGA-GH scaffolds were cross-linked with gelatin and hyaluronic acid. Primary chondrocytes isolated from porcine articular cartilages were used to assess cell compatibility. The characteristic PLGA-GH scaffold was higher in water uptake ratio and degradation rate within 42 days than the PLGA scaffold.

Results: The mean compressive moduli of PLGA and PLGA-GH scaffolds were 1.72 ± 0.50 MPa and 1.86 ± 0.90 MPa, respectively. The cell attachment ratio, proliferation, and extracellular matrix secretion on PLGA-GH scaffolds are superior to those of PLGA scaffolds.

Conclusions: In our study, PLGA-GH scaffolds exhibited improvements in cell biocompatibility, cell proliferation, extracellular matrix synthesis, and appropriate mechanical and structural properties for potential engineering cartilage applications.