Glyoxal crosslinking of cell-seeded chitosan/collagen hydrogels for bone regeneration

Chitosan and collagen are natural biomaterials that have been used extensively in tissue engineering, both separately and as composite materials. Most methods to fabricate chitosan/collagen composites use freeze drying and chemical crosslinking to create stable porous scaffolds, which subsequently can be seeded with cells. In this study, we directly embedded human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSC) in chitosan/collagen materials by initiating gelation using β-glycerophosphate at physiological temperature and pH. We further examined the use of glyoxal, a dialdehyde with relatively low toxicity, to crosslink these materials and characterized the resulting changes in matrix and cell properties. The cytocompatibility of glyoxal and the crosslinked gels were investigated in terms of hBMSC metabolic activity, viability, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. These studies revealed that glyoxal was cytocompatible at concentrations below about 1 mM for periods of exposure up to 15 h, though the degree of cell spreading and proliferation were dependent on matrix composition. Glyoxal-crosslinked matrices were stiffer and compacted less than uncrosslinked controls. It was further demonstrated that hBMSC can attach and proliferate in three-dimensional matrices composed of 50/50 chitosan/collagen, and that these materials supported osteogenic differentiation in response to stimulation. Such glyoxal-crosslinked chitosan/collagen composite materials may find utility as cell delivery vehicles for enhancing the repair of bone defects.