Delivery of Mesenchymal Stem Cell in Dialdehyde Methylcellulose-Succinyl-Chitosan Hydrogel Promotes Chondrogenesis in a Porcine Model

Due to the limitation in the current treatment modalities, such as secondary surgery in ACI and fibrocartilage formation in microfracture surgery, various scaffolds or hydrogels have been developed for cartilage regeneration. In the present study, we used sodium periodate to oxidize methylcellulose and formed dialdehyde methylcellulose (DAC) after dialysis and freeze-drying process, DAC was further mixed with succinyl-chitosan (SUC) to form an DAC-SUC in situ forming hydrogel. The hydrogel is a stiffness, elastic-like and porous hydrogel according to the observation of SEM and rheological analysis. DAC-SUC13 hydrogel possess well cell-compatibility as well as biodegradability. Most bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-pMSCs) were alive in the hydrogel and possess chondrogenesis potential. According to the results of animal study, we found DAC-SUC13 hydrogel can function as a stem cell carrier to promote glycosaminoglycans and type II collagen synthesis in the osteochondral defects of porcine knee. These findings suggested that DAC-SUC13 hydrogel combined with stem cell is a potential treatment for cartilage defects repair in the future.