Objective To evaluate the effect of treating the cartilage defects with implanted cell-scaffold composites. Methods precartilaginous stem cells(PSCs) were isolated and purified by immunological micro beads. PSCs were seeded into self-assembling peptide KLD-12 hydrogel and culture flask, then induced into a chondrogenic pathway by TGF-β3. The expression of cartilage-specific extracellular matrix Collagen II and Aggrecan during chondrogenesis were examined by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry. Results Collagen II and Aggrecan staining was positive at 7, 14days in KLD-12 hydrogel culture. RT-PCR investigation suggested that KLD-12- PSCs'Collagen II and Aggrecan DNA synthesis level were high than the PSCs'that seeded in culture flask. The difference between two groups was statistical significance(p<0.05). Conclusion PSCs can be induced into chondrogenic differentitation by TGF-β3, the self-assembling peptide KLD-12 hydrogel loaded with PSCs may be well used for cartilage tissue engineering, self-assembling peptide KLD-12 hydrogel could be a better cell-seeded scaffolds for repair of articular cartilage defects. |