Injectable hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is a promising method for the regeneration of cartilage defects. Thisapproach generally involves the use of a three-dimensional scaffold which can act as atemporary artificial extracellular matrix (ECM) for healthy cartilage cells, chondrocytes.Hydrogels represent a class of ECM-mimicking scaffolds that are able to retain cells insideand support their growth, thereby inducing the production of such a matrix. So far manyhydrogel systems based on natural or synthetic materials have been developed for cartilageregeneration. Among these systems, injectable hydrogels have received much attentionsince they can be used in a minimally invasive surgical procedure in clinical trials.This thesis focuses on polysaccharide-based injectable hydrogels for cartilageregeneration. The in-situ formation of hydrogels was established via either Michaeladdition reaction or enzymatic crosslinking of conjugated polysaccharides. Theapplicability of these hydrogels for tissue engineering was studied by determining thephysical and biological characteristics of these hydrogels such as gelation time, swellingand degradation, and mechanical properties. In addition, bovine chondrocytes wereincorporated inside the gels and their viability and ability to produce cartilaginous matrixwere evaluated in vitro.