3D bacterial cellulose-chitosan-alginate-gelatin hydrogel scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering

Biopolymers of bacterial cellulose, chitosan, alginate and gelatin were combined to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. A suitable hydrogel material was fabricated by thoroughly mixing bacterial cellulose-chitosan slurry (BCC) with the mixed solution of alginate and gelatin (AG) at the weight ratio of BCC:AG at 80:20 and crosslinking in the aqueous solution of 1% (w/v) calcium chloride (CaCl2). Results from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed some interactions among bacterial cellulose, chitosan, alginate and gelatin. The composite scaffolds exhibited good three-dimensional (3D) architecture with the average pore diameter of the outer surface and interior at 45.0 and 326.6 µm, respectively. The BCC-AG scaffolds presented many desirable properties, such as good compressive strength, stability and excellent biocompatibility. For the study of tissue engineered constructs, the mixture of mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and the hydrogel was transferred into 24-well plate, cross-linked with 1% (w/v) CaCl2 and cultured in chondrogenic medium. The hydrogel scaffold was shown to support the cell proliferation, with the accumulation of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen at 6.26% and 6.71%ww, respectively after 42 days of incubation. The results indicated that BCC-AG scaffolds have the potential use as scaffolds for application in cartilage tissue engineering.