Chondrogenesis in injectable enzymatically crosslinked heparin/dextran hydrogels

In this study, injectable hydrogels were prepared by horseradish peroxidase-mediated co-crosslinking of dextran-tyramine (Dex-TA) and heparin-tyramine (Hep-TA) conjugates and used as scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. The swelling and mechanical properties of these hydrogels can be easily controlled by the Dex-TA/Hep-TA weight ratio. When chondrocytes were incorporated in these gels, cell viability and proliferation were highest for gels with a 50/50 weight ratio of Dex-TA/Hep-TA. Moreover, these hydrogels induced an enhanced production of chondroitin sulfate and a more abundant presence of collagen as compared to Dex-TA hydrogels. The results indicate that injectable Dex-TA/Hep-TA hydrogels are promising scaffolds for cartilage regeneration. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.