Incorporation of a Collagen-Binding Chondroitin Sulfate Molecule to a Collagen Type I and II Blend Hydrogel for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Adding chondroitin sulfate (CS) to collagen scaffolds has been shown to improve the outcomes for articular cartilage tissue engineering. Instead of physical entrapment or chemical crosslinking of CS within a scaffold, this study investigated the use of CS with attached collagen-binding peptides (termed CS-SILY). This method better recapitulates the aspects of native cartilage while retaining CS within a collagen type I and II blend (Col I/II) hydrogel. CS retention, average fibril diameter, and mechanical properties were altered by varying the number of SILY peptides attached to the CS backbone. When mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were encapsulated within the scaffolds, the addition of CS-SILY molecules resulted in higher sulfated glycosaminoglycan production, and these results suggest that CS-SILY promotes MSC differentiation into chondrocytes. Taken together, our study shows the promise of adding a CS-SILY molecule to a Col I/II hydrogel with encapsulated MSCs to promote cartilage repair.