目的 探讨利用组织工程技术提高管状软骨的构建质量.方法 PLA/PGA共纺材料均匀地缠绕在硅胶模具上形成管状支架材料.从兔耳郭软骨分离软骨细胞,在体外培养扩增后接种于支架材料,软骨细胞-材料复合物先体外培养2 d.实验动物分为3组:直接植入组(DI组),自体软骨细胞材料复合物直接植入兔颈部皮下.联合培养组(CC组),复合物继续用相同的培养基在体外培养2周后再植入兔颈部皮下.单纯材料组(SO组),在颈部皮下单纯植入材料和硅胶模具.在植入后1,2,4和8周定时取材,行大体观测,组织学染色,生物化学和分子生物学检测和生物力学评定,主要评估炎症反应程度和软骨形成情况.结果 植入1周时,DI和SO组材料纤维周围有明显的炎症反应,大量白细胞浸润;第4周时,两组炎症明显减退,DI组形成的工程软骨被纤维组织分隔成散在的岛状;第8周时,材料基本降解,炎症消散,但DI组软骨无改善.体外培养2周后,CC组软骨细胞已分泌了许多细胞外基质,将部分降解的材料纤维包裹在内,此时植入体内没有引起明显的炎症反应;第4周时,材料完全降解并形成了相对均质、成熟的软骨组织,各项检测指标均优于同时间点DI组构建的软骨,接近正常气管软骨.结论 体内外联合培养可以明显减轻软骨细胞-PLA/PGA复合物植入具有免疫功能的实验动物自体内引发的炎症反应,提高组织工程管状软骨的构建质量.
Objective To enhance the constructive quality of tissue engineered tubular cartilage using tissue engineering technique. Methods PL4/PGA fibers were evenly wrapped around a silicone mold to form tubular scaffold. Chondrocytes isolated from rabbit auricular cartilage were expanded in vitro and then seeded onto the scaf- fold. All the materials and chondrocytes were cultured in vitro for 2 days at first. Experimental animals were divided randomly into three groups. In the direct implantation group ( n = 6, the DI group), the composite of autologous chondrocytes and materials were then implanted directly into rat cervical subcutaneous; in the combined culture group ( n = 6, the CC group), the same composite was cultured in vitro for 2 weeks and then implanted into the subcutaneous; in the simple material group ( n =6, the SO group). Specimens were harvested at 1,4 and 8 weeks after implantation. Gross observation, histological staining, biochemical and molecular biologic detects and biomechanics were used for evaluating inflammatory reaction and chondrogenesis. Results In the DI and SO group, obvious inflammatory reaction was observed at 1 week with extensive infiltration of leukocytes and little extracellular ma trices formation. Island cartilage separated by the fibrous tissues was achieved with obvious inflammation decrease at 4 weeks and inflammation disappeared without improvement of cartilage at 8 weeks in the DI group. In the CC group, after 2 weeks of culture in vitro, partially degraded scaffold fibers were embedded by extracellular matrix which was secreted from chondrocytes at 2 weeks after culture in vitro, no obvious inflammatory reaction was observed in all time points and relatively homogeneous cartilage tissue was formed at 4 weeks with the complete degradation of PGA fibers, and better biomechanics properties. Conclusion The results demonstrated that inflanm~atory reaction caused by PLA/PGA in immunocompetent animals could be avoided by combination culture the cell scaffold constructs, l