Abstract

Synthetic and naturally derived-biodegradable polymers have been applied extensively for scaffold fabrication for cartilage tissue engineering. Human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) seeded in poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) and PLGA/fibrin scaffolds and cultured in chondrogenic media containing Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU). All constructs were cultured for 14 days. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Chondrogenic differentiation markers, including type II collagen (Coll II), Aggrecan (AGG), and SOX9, were detected by real-time PCR. Hypertrophic and Fibrous differentiation was also analyzed using gene expression type X (Coll X) and � (Coll �) collagen. The MTT results on the 14th day showed that the viability of hADSCs in the PLGA group was higher than the PLGAL/Fibrin group, but it was not significant. Real-time PCR results demonstrated that SOX9, Coll II, and AGG gene expression in the PLGA and PLGA/Fibrin groups are higher than the control group. The real-time PCR results indicated that Coll X in the PLGA/Fibrin group is lower than the PLGA and control groups. Also, Coll I gene expression in the PLGA group was higher in contrast with the control group. Administrating fibrin with a PLGA scaffold can induce chondrogenesis in hADSCs on chondrogenic media containing ASU. © 2020 by the authors.