1
|
Barceló X, Eichholz K, Gonçalves I, Kronemberger GS, Dufour A, Garcia O, Kelly DJ. Bioprinting of scaled-up meniscal grafts by spatially patterning phenotypically distinct meniscus progenitor cells within melt electrowritten scaffolds. Biofabrication 2023; 16:015013. [PMID: 37939395 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad0ab9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Meniscus injuries are a common problem in orthopedic medicine and are associated with a significantly increased risk of developing osteoarthritis. While developments have been made in the field of meniscus regeneration, the engineering of cell-laden constructs that mimic the complex structure, composition and biomechanics of the native tissue remains a significant challenge. This can be linked to the use of cells that are not phenotypically representative of the different zones of the meniscus, and an inability to direct the spatial organization of engineered meniscal tissues. In this study we investigated the potential of zone-specific meniscus progenitor cells (MPCs) to generate functional meniscal tissue following their deposition into melt electrowritten (MEW) scaffolds. We first confirmed that fibronectin selected MPCs from the inner and outer regions of the meniscus maintain their differentiation capacity with prolonged monolayer expansion, opening their use within advanced biofabrication strategies. By depositing MPCs within MEW scaffolds with elongated pore shapes, which functioned as physical boundaries to direct cell growth and extracellular matrix production, we were able to bioprint anisotropic fibrocartilaginous tissues with preferentially aligned collagen networks. Furthermore, by using MPCs isolated from the inner (iMPCs) and outer (oMPCs) zone of the meniscus, we were able to bioprint phenotypically distinct constructs mimicking aspects of the native tissue. An iterative MEW process was then implemented to print scaffolds with a similar wedged-shaped profile to that of the native meniscus, into which we deposited iMPCs and oMPCs in a spatially controlled manner. This process allowed us to engineer sulfated glycosaminoglycan and collagen rich constructs mimicking the geometry of the meniscus, with MPCs generating a more fibrocartilage-like tissue compared to the mesenchymal stromal/stem cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate how the convergence of emerging biofabrication platforms with tissue-specific progenitor cells can enable the engineering of complex tissues such as the meniscus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Barceló
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing, & Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Advanced Materials & Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 F6N2, Ireland
| | - Kian Eichholz
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing, & Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Advanced Materials & Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 F6N2, Ireland
| | - Inês Gonçalves
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing, & Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Advanced Materials & Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 F6N2, Ireland
| | - Gabriela S Kronemberger
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing, & Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Advanced Materials & Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 F6N2, Ireland
| | - Alexandre Dufour
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing, & Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Advanced Materials & Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 F6N2, Ireland
| | - Orquidea Garcia
- Johnson & Johnson 3D Printing Innovation & Customer Solutions, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
| | - Daniel J Kelly
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing, & Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 R590, Ireland
- Advanced Materials & Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 F6N2, Ireland
- Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin D02 YN77, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang J, Roberts S, Li W, Wright K. Phenotypic characterization of regional human meniscus progenitor cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1003966. [PMID: 36338137 PMCID: PMC9629835 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1003966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Stimulating meniscus regeneration using meniscal progenitor cells has been suggested as a promising new strategy. However, there is a lack of studies which decisively identify and characterize progenitor cell populations in human meniscus tissues. In this study, donor-matched progenitor cells were isolated via selective fibronectin adhesion from the avascular and vascular regions of the meniscus and chondroprogenitors from articular cartilage (n = 5). The mixed populations of cells from these regions were obtained by standard isolation techniques for comparison. The colony formation efficacy of avascular progenitors, vascular progenitors and chondroprogenitors was monitored using Cell-IQ® live cell imaging. Proliferation rates of progenitors were compared with their mixed population counterparts. Cell surface markers indicative of mesenchymal stromal cells profile and progenitor markers were characterized by flow cytometry in all populations. The fibrochondrogenic capacity was assessed via fibrochondrogenic differentiation and measuring GAG/DNA content and morphology. All meniscal progenitor and chondroprogenitor populations showed superior colony forming efficacy and faster proliferation rates compare to their mixed populations. Progenitor populations showed significantly higher positivity for CD49b and CD49c compared to their mixed population counterparts and chondroprogenitors had a higher positivity level of CD166 compared to mixed chondrocytes. GAG/DNA analysis demonstrated that progenitor cells generally produced more GAG than mixed populations. Our study demonstrates that the human meniscus contains meniscal progenitor populations in both the avascular and vascular regions. Meniscal progenitors derived from the vascular region exhibit enhanced proliferative and fibrochondrogenic characteristics compared to those from the avascular region; this may associate with the enhanced meniscal healing potential in the vascular region. These findings build on the body of evidence which suggests that meniscal progenitors represent an attractive cell therapy strategy for meniscal regeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingsong Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Spinal Studies & Cartilage Research Group, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, Oswestry, United Kingdom
- School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Roberts
- Spinal Studies & Cartilage Research Group, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, Oswestry, United Kingdom
- School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Weiping Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Karina Wright
- Spinal Studies & Cartilage Research Group, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, Oswestry, United Kingdom
- School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Di Matteo B, Anzillotti G, Kon E. Navigating around the Current Options to Preserve and Regenerate Meniscus: A Long Journey Still to Be Pursued. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23116057. [PMID: 35682735 PMCID: PMC9181105 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Berardo Di Matteo
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (B.D.M.); (E.K.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20090 Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Anzillotti
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (B.D.M.); (E.K.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20090 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Elizaveta Kon
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (B.D.M.); (E.K.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20090 Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pattappa G, Reischl F, Jahns J, Schewior R, Lang S, Zellner J, Johnstone B, Docheva D, Angele P. Fibronectin Adherent Cell Populations Derived From Avascular and Vascular Regions of the Meniscus Have Enhanced Clonogenicity and Differentiation Potential Under Physioxia. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 9:789621. [PMID: 35155405 PMCID: PMC8831898 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.789621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The meniscus is composed of an avascular inner region and vascular outer region. The vascular region has been shown to contain a progenitor population with multilineage differentiation capacity. Strategies facilitating the isolation and propagation of these progenitors can be used to develop cell-based meniscal therapies. Differential adhesion to fibronectin has been used to isolate progenitor populations from cartilage, while low oxygen or physioxia (2% oxygen) enhances the meniscal phenotype. This study aimed to isolate progenitor populations from the avascular and vascular meniscus using differential fibronectin adherence and examine their clonogenicity and differentiation potential under hyperoxia (20% oxygen) and physioxia (2% oxygen). Human vascular and avascular meniscus cells were seeded onto fibronectin-coated dishes for a short period and monitored for colony formation under either hyperoxia or physioxia. Non-fibronectin adherent meniscus cells were also expanded under both oxygen tension. Individual fibronectin adherent colonies were isolated and further expanded, until approximately ten population doublings (passage 3), whereby they underwent chondrogenic, osteogenic, and adipogenic differentiation. Physioxia enhances clonogenicity of vascular and avascular meniscus cells on plastic or fibronectin-coated plates. Combined differential fibronectin adhesion and physioxia isolated a progenitor population from both meniscus regions with trilineage differentiation potential compared to equivalent hyperoxia progenitors. Physioxia isolated progenitors had a significantly enhanced meniscus matrix content without the presence of collagen X. These results demonstrate that combined physioxia and fibronectin adherence can isolate and propagate a meniscus progenitor population that can potentially be used to treat meniscal tears or defects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Girish Pattappa
- Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Girish Pattappa,
| | - Franziska Reischl
- Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Judith Jahns
- Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ruth Schewior
- Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Siegmund Lang
- Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Zellner
- Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany
- Sporthopaedicum Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Brian Johnstone
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Denitsa Docheva
- Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany
- Department of Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration, Orthopaedic Hospital König-Ludwig-Haus, University of Wurzburg, Wurzburg, Germany
| | - Peter Angele
- Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany
- Sporthopaedicum Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|