Preparation and characterization of a soluble eggshell membrane/agarose composite scaffold with possible applications in cartilage regeneration

Articular Hyaline Cartilage is an extremely hydrated, not vascularized tissue with a low cell density. The damage of this tissue can occur after injuries or gradual stress and tears (osteoarthritis), minor damages can be self-healed in several weeks, but major injuries may eventually require surgery. In fact, in this case, because of nature of the cartilage (the absence of cells and vascularization) it is difficult to expect its natural regeneration in a reasonable amount of time. In recent years, cell therapy, in which cells are directly transplanted, has attracted attention. In this study, a scaffold for implanting chondrocytes was prepared. The scaffold was made as a sponge using the eggshell membrane and agarose. The eggshell membrane is structurally similar to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and non-toxic due to its many collagen components and has good biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, scaffolds made of collagen only has poor mechanical properties. For this reason, the disulfide bond of collagen extracted from the insoluble eggshell membrane was cut, converted into water-soluble, and then mixed with agarose to prepare a scaffold. Agarose is capable of controlling mechanical properties, has excellent biocompatibility, and is suitable for forming a hydrogel having a three-dimensional porosity. The scaffold was examined for FT-IR, mechanical properties, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. In in vitro experiment, cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, and mRNA expression were investigated. The study demonstrated that the agarose/eggshell membrane scaffold can be used for chondrocyte transplantation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.