Cartilage regeneration by culturing chondrocytes in scaffolds grafted with TATVHL peptide

Formation of neocartilage is a critical issue in contemporary regenerative medicine. This study presents the generation of tissue engineering cartilage in TATVHL peptide-grafted scaffolds. Bovine knee chondrocytes were seeded in TATVHL peptide-grafted scaffolds and cultured in a spinner bioreactor. The results revealed that surface TATVHL peptide enhanced the adhesion of bovine knee chondrocytes in scaffolds. However, an increase in the concentration of TATVHL peptide in scaffolds (up to 20 μg/mL) did not cause an evident variation in the cell viability. Surface TATVHL peptide was effective in promoting the quantity of cartilaginous components in constructs after dynamic cultivation. Biochemical assay, scanning electron microscope images, and histological staining demonstrated that surface TATVHL peptide accelerated the proliferation of bovine knee chondrocytes in constructs. In addition, the secretion of glycosaminoglycans and production of collagen in TATVHL peptide-grafted constructs were faster than those in TATVHL peptide-free constructs. TATVHL peptide can be a promising bioactive molecule to improve chondrogenesis in porous biomaterials.

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► Surface TATVHL peptide enhances the adhesion of bovine knee chondrocytes.
► A variation in the concentration of TATVHL peptide does not affect the cell viability in scaffolds.
► TATVHL peptide promotes the quantity of cartilaginous components in cultivated constructs.
► TATVHL peptide-grafted constructs show a better chondrogenesis than peptide-free constructs.
► Surface TATVHL peptide accelerates the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans and collagen.