Bunaprasert, TanomThongmarongsri, NarawutThanakit, VoranutRuangvejvorachai, PreechaBuranapraditkul, SupraneeManeesri, SupangKanokpanont, Sorada2009-05-272009-05-272006-09-28Bunaprasert T, Thongmarongsri N, Thanakit V, Ruangvejvorachai P, Buranapraditkul S, Maneesri S, Kanokpanont S. Tissue engineering of cartilage with porous polycarprolactone--alginate scaffold: the first report of tissue engineering in Thailand. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. 2006 Sep; 89 Suppl 3(): S108-14http://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/43430Chotmaihet Thangphaet.OBJECTIVE: To engineer human cartilage with porous polycaprolactone (PCL)-Alginate Scaffold. BACKGROUND: Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a prolonged degradable polymer that has good mechanical strength. The authors fabricated PCL as an ear shaped scaffold. Alginate hydrogel was used to seed chondrocyte into the PCL porous scaffold by a gel-cell seeding technique. MATERIAL AND METHOD: PCL Scaffolds were fabricated like human pinna by particle leaching technique. Chondrocyte was isolated from human rib cartilage and then cultured. The cultured chondrocyte were mixed with 1.2% alginate and b-FGF (basic-fibroblast growth factor) 5 ng/ml at a concentration of 25 x 10(6) cell/ml, then were seeded in porous PCL scaffold to make the constructs. The constructs were cultured in vitro for 1 week. Then they were implanted in subcutaneous plane of the back of six-female nude mice (5 weeks old). Two nude mice were sacrificed at 2, 3, and 6 months. Histological study was done (H&E, Alcian blue, collagen type II). RESULT: Neocartilage was formed in the porous cavity of PCL scaffold. At 2 and 3 months, neocartilage were similar to very young cartilage. At 6 months, they were mature. The delayed maturation until 6 months and the highly vascularization of neocartilage in the early phase was the effect of human b-FGF The growths of neocartilage islands in porous cavity were also observed along with degradation ofPCL inter-porous septum. CONCLUSION: This paper reports the first success of cartilage tissue engineering in Thailand.engAlginates --metabolismAnimalsCartilage --metabolismCells, CulturedChondrocytes --cytologyFemaleMiceMice, NudePolyesters --metabolismPorosityThailandTissue Engineering --methodsJournal Article