Laponite nanoparticle-associated silated hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose as an injectable reinforced interpenetrating network hydrogel for cartilage tissue engineering.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Articular cartilage is a connective tissue which does not spontaneously heal. To address this issue, biomaterial-assisted cell therapy has been researched with promising advances. The lack of strong mechanical properties is still a concern despite significant progress in three-dimensional scaffolds. This article's objective was to develop a composite hydrogel using a small amount of nano-reinforcement clay known as laponites. These laponites were capable of self-setting within the gel structure of the silated hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (Si-HPMC) hydrogel. Laponites (XLG) were mixed with Si-HPMC to prepare composite hydrogels leading to the development of a hybrid interpenetrating network. This interpenetrating network increases the mechanical properties of the hydrogel. The in vitro investigations showed no side effects from the XLG regarding cytocompatibility or oxygen diffusion within the composite after cross-linking. The ability of the hybrid scaffold containing the composite hydrogel and chondrogenic cells to form a cartilaginous tissue in vivo was investigated during a 6-week implantation in subcutaneous pockets of nude mice. Histological analysis of the composite constructs revealed the formation of a cartilage-like tissue with an extracellular matrix containing glycosaminoglycans and collagens. Overall, this new hybrid construct demonstrates an interpenetrating netwo

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.