3D printing OF PLGA/alginate composite scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of the Articular Cartilage (AC) occurring due to age, trauma, or repetitive injury. The current treatment provides short-term benefits that have given rise to Tissue Engineering. 3D-printing has surfaced as a promising strategy to engineer mechanically functional scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. An advantage of 3D printing is that the architecture of the scaffold can be controlled and can be mechanically reinforced with networks of stiffer polymers such as Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) to engineer composites that are both mechanically functional and supportive of new tissue deposition by resident cells. PLGA has gained considerable interest due to its biocompatibility, tailored biodegradation for cartilage regeneration, and so on. However, synthetic polymers have poor cell adhesion properties which are overcome by natural polymers. Alginate is a naturally derived polysaccharide and a versatile biomaterial owing to its excellent biocompatibility, printability, and ability to support the differentiation of encapsulated cells. Here, a new class of functionalized alginate and PLGA have been developed for the 3D-printing of composite scaffolds. The scaffold loaded with Mesenchymal cells are also found capable of supporting robust chondrogenesis. Immunohistochemical analyses of the scaffolds revealed enhanced type II collagen fibril and cartilage tissue formation. Finally, it is demonstrated that this network of composite 3D-printed PLGA fibres with Alginate showcased a compressive modulus comparable to the native AC. In conclusion, an innovative 3D-printed composite scaffold of PLGA infused with Alginate for cartilage regeneration has been presented.