Vitamin C Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin C, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, information.

Delivery of dexamethasone, ascorbate, and growth factor (TGF beta-3) in thermo-reversible hydrogel constructs embedded with rabbit chondrocytes.

Na K, Park JH, Kim SW, Sun BK, Woo DG, Chung HM, Park KH

Division of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, 43-1 Yokkok2-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon 420-743, Republic of Korea.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (p(NiPAAm-co-AAc)) as an injectable drug delivery vehicle and a cell therapeutic agent in the form of a supporting matrix for the chondrogenic differentiation of rabbit chondrocytes. The p(NiPAAm-co-AAc) hydrogel itself without specific differentiation-inducing drugs was used as a control in order to determine the effects of these materials on chondrogenic differentiation. The level of cartilage associated extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins was examined by immunohistochemical staining for collagen type II as well as Safranin-O and Alcian blue (GAG) staining. These results highlight the potential of a thermo-reversible hydrogel mixed with chondrocytes and differentiation materials as an injectable delivery vehicle for use in neocartilage formation.

Published 12 September 2006 in Biomaterials, 27(35): 5951-7.
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