Brigitte Jeschke

Histological evaluation of the bone response to calcium phosphate cement implanted in cortical bone.

The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical and biological properties of a newly developed calcium phosphate cement (CaP cement) implanted in cortical bone. CaP cement was injected as a paste into tibia cortical bone defects in goats. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement was used as a control. The animals were killed after 3 days, 2, 8, 16 and 24 weeks. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy performed at retrieved samples showed that the CaP cement had set as a carbonate apatite and remained stable over time. Light microscopic evaluation showed that after 2 weeks the cement was in tight contact with the bone without any inflammatory reaction or fibrous encapsulation. At later time points, the CaP cement implants were totally covered by a thin layer of bone and osteoclasts, present at the interface, which were clearly resorbing the cement. At locations where CaP cement was resorbed, new bone was deposited. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that indeed a seamless contact existed between CaP cement and bone, as characterized by the occurrence of an electron dense line of 50-60 nm thick that covered the CaP cement. Osteoblasts, in contact with the cement, were depositing new bone. Although the bulk of the material was still in situ after 24 weeks, the progressive osteoclast resorption of the cement followed by new bone formation suggests that all of the material may be replaced eventually. In contrast to the CaP cement, the PMMA reference cement was always surrounded by a thin fibrous capsule. The results indicate that the investigated CaP cement is biocompatible, osteoconductive as well as osteotransductive and is a candidate material for use as a bone substitute.

RGD-peptides for tissue engineering of articular cartilage

One keypoint in the development of a biohybrid implant for articular cartilage defects is the specific binding of cartilage cells to a supporting structure. Mimicking the physiological adhesion process of chondrocytes to the extracellular matrix is expected to improve cell adhesion of in vitro cultured chondrocytes. Our approach involves coating of synthetic scaffolds with tailor-made, cyclic RGD-peptides, which bind to specific integrin receptors on the cell surface. In this study we investigated the expression pattern of integrins on the cell surface of chondrocytes and their capability to specifically bind to RGD-peptide coated materials in the course of monolayer cultivation. Human chondrocytes expressed integrins during a cultivation period of 20 weeks. Receptors proved to be functionally active as human and pig chondrocytes attached to RGD-coated surfaces. A competition assay with soluble RGD-peptide revealed binding specificity to the RGD-entity. Chondrocyte morphology changed with increasing amounts of cyclic RGD-peptides on the surface.