Hybrid Scaffolds Composed of Hyaluronic Acid and Collagen for Cartilage Regeneration

Hybrid scaffolds composed of hyaluronic acid (HA) and collagen was prepared and evaluated for cartilage regeneration. The hybrid scaffolds prepared by adding 0.1, 0.3 or 0.5 wt.% collagen to HA had a three-dimensional structure with interconnected pores and showed an increase in tensile strength with increasing collagen concentration. The degradation period of the hybrid scaffolds in vitro increased with increasing collagen concentration and that the cell growth in the hybrid scaffolds increased with increasing collagen concentration for 2 weeks of cell culture. After the hybrid scaffolds with different collagen concentrations were implanted into cartilage defects of rabbit ears for 6 months, the GAG concentration of the hybrid scaffolds was higher than the HA scaffold itself, suggesting that cartilage tissue was easily formed in the collagen-containing scaffolds although the GAG concentration in the hybrid scaffolds decreased with increasing collagen concentration. Therefore, it is concluded that the collagen-containing porous scaffolds can be effectively used for cartilage regeneration.