Osteochondral tissue presents a very complex morphology that result in the development of complex treatments. On one side, articular cartilage is an avascular tissue that lines the ends of bones in diarthrodial joints. It serves as support of the joint and acts as a shock absorber. On the other side, the bony layer is comprised of a variety of cell population, inorganic compounds, extracellular matrix (ECM) and other components designed to provide mechanical support to the body. The osteochondral tissue comprises the interface between bone and cartilage and is a gradual transition in which the key constituents of each tissue undergo an exchange in predominance.
Depending on the damage level, we developed different approach to treat the osteochondral damage based on natural polymer. On one hand, we developed bilayer scaffolds consisting of a cartilage-like layer and an underlying bone-like layer combining enzymatically crosslinked SF (HRP-SF) and ZnSr-doped β-TCP. The combination of silk fibroin (SF), gelatin, hyaluronic acid with bioresorbable inorganic materials, such as β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) exhibit high biocompatibility and tunable mechanical properties for osteochondral regeneration.
On the other hand, we proposes the synthesis of hydrogels based on hyaluronic acid and chitosan by a new strategy of synthesis using di-isocyanates and oxidized dextrans to obtain scaffolds or injectable systems for osteochondral tissue repair/regeneration.