Demand for autologous cartilage for reconstructive surgery and structural repair necessitated by injury and disease such as osteoarthritis is very high. Due to the low yield of cartilage from primary patient harvests, primary explant cartilage must be augmented by tissue engineering techniques to meet this demand. The use of polyglycolic acid (PGA) and poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) as scaffold materials to localize cells and promote focal matrix accumulation has shown much promise. Based on previous studies that demonstrated chondrocyte metabolism is dependent upon interstitial pH, concerns have been raised on the use of biodegradable polymers that produce acidic fragments. The growth of chondrocytes on PGA matrices has been augmented by the use of flow bioreactors, which increase transport of nutrients to and waste away from cells. A flow velocity of 1 [mu]m/s directed through the culturing tissue has been engineered to optimize pH maintenance between 6.9 to 7.2, which has been suggested to stimulate cartilage matrix biosynthesis. The objectives of this study were to 1) characterize ECM assembly by chondrocytes on PLLA/PGA scaffolds in static culture and a perfusion bioreactor, 2) assess the relative roles of cell metabolism and polymer degradation in regulating environmental pH in both static and bioreactor culture, and 3) explore the effects of varying concentrations of PLLA on cell adhesion.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Pazzano, David

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 99E009M

Advisor

• Roy, Amit

Year

• 1999

Sponsor

• UMass Medical School

Date created

• 1999-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright