Biocompatibility of Human Auricular Chondrocytes Cultured onto a Chitosan/Polyvynil Alcohol/Epichlorohydrin-Based Hydrogel for Tissue Engineering Application

Tissue engineering (TE) has become an alternative for auricular reconstruction based on the combination of cells, molecular signals and biomaterials. Scaffolds are biomaterials that provide structural support for cell attachment and subsequent tissue development. Ideally, a scaffold should have characteristics such as biocompatibility and bioactivity to adequate support cell functions. Our purpose was to evaluate biocompatibility of microtic auricular chondrocytes seeded onto a chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol-epichlorohydrin (CS-PVA-ECH) hydrogel to propose this material as a scaffold for tissue engineering application. After being cultured onto CS-PVA-ECH hydrogels, auricular chondrocytes viability was up to 81%. SEM analysis showed cell attachment and extracellular matrix formation that was confirmed by IF detection of type II collagen and elastin, the main constituents of elastic cartilage. Expression of elastic cartilage molecular markers during in vitro expansion and during culture onto hydrogels allowed confirming auricular chondrocyte phenotype. In vivo assay of tissue formation revealed generation of neotissues with similar physical characteristics and protein composition to those found in elastic cartilage. According to our results, biocompatibility of the CS-PVA-ECH hydrogel makes it a suitable scaffold for tissue engineering application aimed to elastic cartilage regeneration.