In this work, the novel poly vinyl alcohol/gelatin-nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide6 (PVA-n-HA/PA6) bilayered scaffold with biomimetic properties for articular cartilage and subchondral bone is developed. Furthermore, when these osteochondral scaffolds were seeded with induced bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and implanted at ectopic sites, showed the potential for an engineered cartilage tissue and the corresponding subchondral bone. BMSCs were expanded in vitro and induced to chondrogenic or osteogenic potential by culturing in suitable media for 14 days. Subsequently, these induced cells were seeded into PVA-n-HA/PA6 separately, and the constructs were implanted into the rabbit muscle pouch for upto 12 weeks. Ectopic neocartilage formation in the PVA layer and reconstitution of the subchondral bone which remained confined within the n-HA/PA6 layer with the alteration of the cellular phenotype were identified with Masson's trichrome stain. Simultaneously, the RT-PCR results confirmed the expression of specific extracellular matrix (ECM) markers for cartilaginous tissue, such as collagen type II (Col-II), or alternatively, markers for osteoid tissue, such as collagen type I (Col-I) at the corresponding layers. During ectopic implantation, the underlying subchondral bone layer was completely integrated with the cartilage layer. The result from the ectopic osteochondral scaffolds implantation suggests that PVA-n-HA/PA6 with induced BMSCs is a possible substitute with potential in cartilage repair strategies.
© 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.